


A Pinky Promise

by tmanosaur



Category: Free!
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:00:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 50,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26397562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tmanosaur/pseuds/tmanosaur
Summary: Ever since they were kids, Haru and Makoto had been there for Riku. They laughed together, played together, and went through hard times together. When the three of them joined the Iwatobi Swim Club, they met Nagisa and they instantly clicked. Then Rin Matsuoka came into their lives, and Riku felt herself falling. When Rin left for Australia, he and Riku made a promise to keep in touch, but it didn’t last.After years without a word, Rin unexpectedly returns to Japan acting like a totally different person.
Relationships: Matsuoka Rin/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So I have a few people to thank! I want to thank Potatomv on fiverr for drawing Riku and Rin! There's no way to put it as cover art so I changed my profile picture to it. I also want to thank Lesbian101 on fanfiction.net for letting me throw out some ideas to get their opinion and ImmortalSpuffy202 on fanfiction for beta reading the fic, helping me fix my mistakes and give me feedback on different scenarios that came up as I was writing. As well as letting me get her thoughts on some ideas and chapters.
> 
> I wrote (like one scene in the prologue was originally in the first chapter so I split them) this a few years ago when Free like first came out but I never posted it. I rewatched season 1 and 2, along with watching season 3 and all of the movies, I remembered why I loved Rin so much. So I figured I'd finally post it after all these years. Enjoy!

Around the time I met Haru and Makoto, my mother abandoned my family. It hurt because my dad was so hard working and wanted to give her everything. But at least I had Haru and Makoto, along with their parents. The three of us joined the Iwatobi swim club, and that's where we met Nagisa. Shortly after, my dad met Sakura, and eventually they got married. I couldn't have asked for a better step-mom—she made my dad happy, and in turn made me happy as well. For some reason, between our mom leaving, and our dad getting remarried, my brother and stopped getting along. My sister, Kaori, and I got along fine, but I always wondered why my brother, Koji, hated me so much.

Then one day, a boy transferred to Iwatobi Elementary, with a name just like those in the swim club.

_"Hi everyone! I'm Rin Matsuoka. Before I came here, I went to Sano Elementary School. My name might be girly, but you can clearly see that I'm a boy. Nice to meet you!" he bowed deeply._

_I turned around to spare a quick glance at Makoto and Haru, as Rin was at the other tournaments they raced in during elementary school._

_When recess came, the three of us went to find Rin in front of the cherry blossom tree. "Whoa, it's huge! Is it a cherry blossom tree?" Rin asked._

_"Yeah it is," Makoto replied, giving Rin a small smile._

_"Awesome! That means when spring finally gets here, the tree is going to drop a bunch of cherry blossoms into the pool!" Wistfully, he turned to look back at the water, "Man that would be so cool, swimming with cherry blossoms."_

_"It wouldn't be cool, it'd be freezing! Unless you want to catch pneumonia, you'd better wait until summer to start swimming," Makoto replied seriously._

_"I'm just kidding, man," Rin held his hands up. "You shouldn't take me so seriously all the time." I chuckled quietly at Rin's response, before Haru spoke._

_"I have something I want to ask you," Haru told Rin._

_"Let me guess: you want to take the new kid down a notch on his first day?" Rin looked to the side._

_"Oh no! We just wanted to say that we recognize you from some of the tournaments we were in!"_

_"What? So, you guys remember me?" he asked in disbelief. "Oh wow, what's with the scary face, man? It's not my fault I ended up here when I moved. Talk about coincidences, am I right?" Rin scratched the back of his head sheepishly._

_"That's just Haru," I said. "I'm sure we'll all become fast friends!" I gave him a bright smile._

_"Are you always this optimistic?" Rin asked, looking skeptical._

_"Yeah, someone has to be," I shrugged, and the school bell rang moments later._

Rin was part of the swim club now, so I had a good feeling that he'd become a part of our friend group as well. Our class eventually agreed on planting a garden together, and Rin had to cover up the fact that he was trying to get Haru to swim freestyle in a relay by saying we should each write on the bricks. The class seemed to like it too. It was honestly a good idea, and I already knew what I was going to write on mine: _love_.

_I decided to go hang out with Rin and Makoto after the swim club because I didn't want to go home right away._

_"Hey, tell me something. Why is Nanase so obsessed with one event? He keeps saying, over and over again, that he only swims free," Rin asked us, throwing rocks at a can._

_"Honestly, I don't know, but I don't think it's because he likes it_ **_exactly_ ** _," Makoto answered._

_"What does that mean?" Rin asked, obviously confused._

_"He's never said anything about it, but I think he feels at home in the water. He doesn't want to ruin it with rules or structure, so he just swims free," Makoto said with a shrug._

_Rin got up, throwing the rock, "I still don't get it. There's gotta be some way for him to swim in the relay," Rin looked off into the ocean._

_"Maybe," I told him. "You're frustrated with Haru's obsession, but you're just as fixated on the relay," I watched Rin closely, as he grinned, then laughed._

_"I have my reasons," he answered._

_"Okay," I smiled at him, "if you want, you can come over to my house this weekend with the others. We can go swimming or watch a movie!"_

_Rin turned back and smiled at me, "Yeah!" His grin was blinding. At that moment I felt my heart start to race, and I knew I felt something more than friendship._

.oOo.

As time went on, I told Rin what happened with my mom and step-mom. It brought back some terrible memories, but I thought he should know. He was painfully understanding, and my feelings for Rin only grew.

When I found out he was moving to Australia, I was more than a little upset. I wanted to see him succeed, but hopefully he'd come back eventually. So, I planned on having the boys over to hang out before the relay.

_"I wanna be a water ninja!" I yelled excitedly to the four boys who were swimming in my indoor pool._

_"There's no such thing, Riku," Haruka said flatly, gliding through the water._

_"Just watch," I mumbled as I slid into the pool. I was going to prove Haruka wrong! I dove under the water to swim by Makoto and Rin. I knew Makoto would freak out when I pulled his leg._

_As I reached to grab him, an arm caught mine and dragged me to the surface. My eyes trailed up the muscular arm—that was currently attached to my own—and came to rest on a mop of sopping red hair: it was Rin. I felt a familiar heating rising in my cheeks._

_"What were you gonna do to Makoto?" Rin asked me, a mildly stern expression on his face._

_"Sneak up on him to show Haru I can be a water ninja!" I explained, peering up at him. Rin's face lost its severity, and he smiled._

_"You think sneaking up on Makoto would work while I'm here?" he laughed, brushing the wet bangs out of his eyes._

_"That's not funny! I would have done it if it weren't for you!" I splashed him in playful annoyance._

_"Hey guys we really don't-" Makoto started._

_"Yeah, sure," Rin rolled his eyes._

_"I was right!" I glared, pointing at Rin, "I want you to race me!"_

_"You know I have to still race Haru, right?" he shot back, crossing his arms._

_"I only swim free," Haru said in his token monotonous voice, watching us bicker._

_"You guys can race now! It'll help you practice for the butterfly event, Riku-chan!" Nagisa beamed. I looked from Nagisa to Rin._

_"Unless you're chicken," Rin smirked._

_"I_ **_am_ ** _not!" I splashed water at him, bottom lip stuck out in a scowl._

_"Yes, you are!" he splashed back._

_"Boys, your mothers are here," my older sister said as she entered the pool house._

_"You ruin all the fun, Kaori!" I pouted._

_"You'll see your friends at the relay tomorrow. You've got to get your rest for the butterfly event." she narrowed her eyes in annoyance._

_"Fine!" I spat, swimming to the edge of the pool to get out with the others. I kept my eyes to the ground as I walked up to Rin. "Promise to write me letters?" I asked shyly._

_"Only if you write back!" he grinned._

_"I promise!" I beamed, unable to keep the excitement off my face._

.oOo.

The boys won their relay, and I won my event. It was all so exciting, but so saddening at the same time. It was going to be the last time I'd see Rin, so I decided to write a letter for him to read on the plane ride.

.oOo.

_The five of us were outside the elementary school looking at the bricks we wrote on._

_"Which one is yours, Riku-chan?" Nagisa asked._

_"That one," I pointed to the brick with love written on it._

_"Wow! I never would've pegged you as the romantic type, Riku-chan!" Nagisa beamed._

_"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked him, unsure whether to be annoyed._

_"He's just surprised, that's all," Makoto diffused the growing tension with ease._

_The others turned to leave, but I caught Rin before he got too far, quickly pulling out the letter I wrote for him, "Rin, wait!"_

_"What's up, Riku?" he asked, turning to face me._

_"Don't read this until you're on the plane," I held out the letter, encouraging him to take it._

_"What if I want to read it now?" he asked with a sly smile._

_"No! You have to wait until then!" I told him, holding out my pinky. "Pinky promise!"_

_"Pinky promise, Riku," he wrapped his pinky around mine._

_"And don't forget to write back!" I added, before starting to head home._

Rin kept his promise, and we wrote back and forth, until I sent him a letter revealing my feelings for him. I was heartbroken, and wondered what I did wrong. As the years went on, my mind always seemed to go back to that letter, and why Rin stopped writing.

When I was a first year in high school, I started dating a third year that I met in the drama club. His name was Ryu, and as the months went on, he became suspicious of my friendship with Haru and Makoto. It didn't matter how many times I told him they were like brothers to me—he never listened.

_I was doing homework in my room when I got a text from an unknown number._

**_Unknown Number: Hey! I wanted to know if you'd like to get together for dinner with me and Ryu! He spends so much time with you, and I've been dying to meet you!_ **

**_Me: Who is this, and how do you know Ryu._ **

**_Unknown Number: My name's Yukari, and I'm Ryu's girlfriend! I found your number in his phone, so I wanted to take matters into my own hands to finally meet his brother!_ **

_I couldn't believe what I just read. Ryu accused me of being the cheater, when he was the cheater all along!_

**_Me: I'm not his brother...I'm his girlfriend._ **

_I read the text over before sending it. It made me so angry, and I wanted to see if he would actually come clean._

_My phone started to buzz. It had to be Yukari._

_"So, when he told me he's been spending time with Riku...he's been with you?" Yukari asked._

_"Aren't you with him right now?" I shot back, since Ryu's supposed to be 'helping his mother' tonight._

_"I told him I had a family emergency and left," she answered. "So, you're really not his brother?" she asked again, still wanting to believe Ryu._

_"Yeah…" I trailed off._

_"What an asshole!" she cursed, her anger palpable._

_"Tell me about it," I sighed. "He's been accusing me of cheating on him with one of my friends, but in fact he's been cheating on me the entire time!" I told her angrily._

_"I'm totally dumping him, and so are you!" She exclaimed. "Is it okay if I come over? I know you don't know me, but I figure we should stick together." I could tell Yukari was smiling._

_"Uh, sure." I told her, before giving her my address._

_So, the two of us talked about Ryu, and I told her everything about my friends. I wanted him to come clean, so I tried asking him to go out for coffee in hopes that he would tell the truth._

_"How was helping your mom last night?" I asked Ryu as he set the coffees down._

_"Fine," he answered curtly._

_"What did you have to help her with again?" I asked, watching as he stayed silent._

_"I had to help her put a shelf together," he answered coolly. I rolled my eyes and stood up._

_"I'm breaking up with you," I said sternly._

_"Fine! Go run off to your secret lover!" he exclaimed, looking irritated._

As I walked out, Yukari was waiting for me. I started to cry. I was betrayed and lied to by someone I trusted. I swore to myself I would never date anyone unless they truly understood that Haru and Makoto were my friends.

The only good thing I got out of my relationship with Ryu, was Yukari. It's unfortunate that she's going to college next year, but she promised she'd be there for me if I ever needed her.

After I broke up with Ryu, I quit the Drama Club. The Drama Club President tried to bring me back because she saw my potential, but all I ever wanted was to help with the sets.

Summer came and went, meaning Ryu was no longer a student at Iwatobi High. But I was optimistic; though I didn't expect this year to turn out the way it did...and it all started with an unexpected encounter from an old friend.

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 1

It was the second day of the new school year, and I was waiting for Haru and Makoto to show up; we had a designated meeting spot so the three of us could walk to school together.

" They should be here by now," I mumbled to myself, toeing a rock with my shoe. Haru didn't show yesterday, so Makoto must've gone to get him.

" Hey Riku!" I heard Makoto call breathlessly, waving a hand at me.

" What took you guys so long? I was about to leave without you," I joked.

" Sorry, Haru was in the bath again," Makoto smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. Haru remained just as stoic as always, not seeming to care that he was the cause of the current problem.

" I'm glad that we're in the same class again!" I beamed. "This year is going to be even better than the last!"

" You always say that," Haru muttered.

" But it always ends up being true!" I smiled at him.

" You always look on the bright side, Riku," Makoto smiled back.

" Someone has to," I shrugged. "My dad said they just finished doing maintenance on the last ride at the new amusement park. It should be opening soon."

" Amusement parks are a waste of time," Haru said as we changed into our slip-ons.

" Come on Haru! My dad said he could get us passes since he helped design some of the rides!" I grabbed his arm, "I think my dad said something about building a water park," I added knowingly. Haru's eyes sparkled at the mention of water.

" Really?" Makoto asked, a note of excitement in his tone.

" I'm pretty sure." The corners of my eyes crinkled with my smile.

The sound of tinkling laughter followed us down the hall. We reached the classroom before long, and our conversation was cut short.

I sat down at my desk, watching the other two settle down a few seats back.  " Miss Matsumura Riku," the teacher called, looking around the room expectantly.

" Here," I said, not looking up from my doodles. I only stopped when the class erupted in laughter. "What happened?" I whispered to Makoto jerking my head at an embarrassed Amakata-sensei.

Makoto whispered back, cupping a hand around his mouth to quiet the sound. I sighed. All of us were used to the misgendering by now, but I just wish my parents would've used the feminine spelling instead.

.oOo.

The second day was going by just as fast as the first—it was already lunch time.  " Wanna eat on the roof?" Makoto asked Haru, who hadn't gotten out of his seat yet.

Haru nodded, pushing himself up and falling into companionable silence between me and Makoto.

" Did you bring lunch?" I asked Haru.

" No," Haru said shortly. The stairs came into view, and we climbed them leisurely.

" Go buy something then. Or do you want some of my squid?" Makoto asked Haru, holding his food out to him.

" Haru-chan! Mako-chan, Riku-chan!" All three of us looked to the bottom of the steps as a blond boy waved up at us, grinning widely, "It's been forever! I'll be joining you here at Iwatobi High School," he said, the excitement evident in his voice.

_ Mako-chan, Haru-chan, Riku-chan _ ? The three of us looked to each other as if the other had a clue to who the person at the bottom of the steps was. Then it dawned on us, "Nagisa?!" we said in unison, to which said boy tilted his head and smiled even brighter as we remembered our old friend. We all headed up to the roof to catch up.

" How long has it been?" I asked, looking at Nagisa, who was already eating his Iwatobi cream bread.

" After the swim club shut down," Makoto said. "I don't think any of us saw you after that." The others nodded in agreement.

" Yeah, since I went to a different school," Nagisa shrugged, before pointing to the pool in the distance, "There's cherry blossom trees next to the pool—weren't there cherry blossoms trees next to the pool at your grade school, Haru-chan?" Nagisa asked.

" Drop the 'chan'," Haru frowned crossing his arms.

" But that's your name, Haru-chan," Nagisa shot back, grinning devilishly. Makoto sighed; he'd had enough of their antics.

" But that pool's old and isn't in use. There's no swim club either," Makoto said, watching the confusion on Nagisa's face grow.

" Where do you swim then?" Nagisa's eyes flickered between the three of us.

" I quit swimming competitively," Haru said flatly, not looking up from the squid Makoto gave him.

" What?! Why? I was excited to swim with you again in high school!" Nagisa cried. Never in a million years did he think Haru would quit swimming.

" We're not little kids anymore. Things aren't the way they used to be," Haru said. I frowned; sometimes I wish they were. I wish Rin never stopped writing, or even moved in the first place! Things had kind of fallen apart after Rin left and Haru quit swimming. I knew things would change as we got older, but I never thought things would be this different.

" Haru-chan..." Nagisa said softly, looking a little upset.

" Well, he stopped competing, but he still loves water," Makoto said, trying to lift their spirits.

" Yeah! Haru can't live without water. We swam in my indoor pool, but then the heating system broke. We swim in the ocean during the summer though." I interjected, shrugging.

" He was soaking in the tub this morning," Makoto added.

" What does that have to do with swimming? It just means he likes baths," Nagisa pouted, putting his chin in his hands. However, his disappointment didn't last long; he turned to Haru excitedly, a familiar glint in his eye, "I know! How about a hot springs club? That would be fun!" Nagisa said grinning.

"No," Haru didn't hesitate to shut him down.

I watched them as Haru rejected every one of Nagisa's suggestions. It made me smile that Nagisa hadn't changed one bit.

" Did you guys hear about the old swim club?" Nagisa asked as we walked to the stairs.

" No, what's going on?" I replied. I hadn't heard anything about it since it shut down.

Nagisa continued,  " They lost the lease or something, and they're going to tear it down. I was thinking we could stop by. You know, for old time's sake."

" That means we have to dig up the trophy," Makoto said.

In hearing the agreement from his friends, Nagisa's face brightened and he immediately started making plans,  " Yeah! So, we can go sneak in and-"

" You can count me out," Haruka walked right past us, not bothering to spare us a glance.

" Aww, don't be like that Haru-chan! Please come with us!" Nagisa pleaded, hanging off of Haruka's arm.

Haru turned his head defiantly,  " I don't want to go," he said.

" You don't think it'll be fun?" Nagisa whined.

" Not a chance."

" I think you should come just to humor him," Makoto whispered to the raven-haired boy.

" Give me one good reason."

Haru looked skeptical, but he didn't say anything more.

" We'd have full access to an indoor pool. A pool that happens to be much bigger than a bathtub," I said, fully aware of what I was doing. I saw Haru twitch, and I knew we had him.

After school, we all went to Haru's house and waited for nightfall. I've been here a few times over the summer, so I was familiar with the layout, but it was Nagisa's first time. I watched as he looked around the place before I texted my parents and told them where I was.

" This is a nice place. Why do you live here by yourself?" Nagisa asked.

Haru shrugged, walking into the kitchen.

" Haru's mom didn't want him to change schools when his father got a job in Tokyo," Makoto answered for him. Nagisa looked mildly surprised, but brushed it off, heading into the kitchen. I sat down at the table while Makoto followed Nagisa into the kitchen.

" Mackerel again?" Makoto sighed, shaking his head.

_ One day he's gonna die from mercury poisoning _ , I thought.

" No one's asking you to eat it," Haru retorted. I watched the three of them and smiled.

" Are you excited Riku-chan?" Nagisa asked me.

" Of course! It's going to be nice taking a trip down memory lane."

The conversation went back and forth until Haru brought us dinner. I changed into my dark colored jeans, a gray crop top, and a leather jacket I brought with me in my backpack. I liked having a spare change of clothes in case I went out after school. We waited until nightfall before making our way to the swim club.

As we approached the old building, a dizzying feeling of nostalgia swept over me. I looked at it in awe; this place held so many memories, but the building was entirely trashed.

" Wow this place really is destroyed," Makoto said. The building definitely gave off some eerie vibes.

" You got that right," I added, watching Nagisa grab something out of his back pocket.

" It's okay, I came prepared!" He unfolded the napkin, "Purifying salt!" he said.

" Purifying salt?" Makoto questioned slowly.

" Because some people say this place is haunted," Nagisa said.

" That is highly unlikely," I said, and Makoto became uneasy. He was clutching the shovel in his hands tightly, obviously nervous.

" Please don't scare me like that," his voice quivered.

" You think I'm lying? People see shadows creeping around here. This girl I know even said that she heard sobbing," Nagisa said, raising an eyebrow as if daring us to disagree. He then proceeded to sprinkle the salt on us, "This will protect us from evil spirits and stuff! I wouldn't want them following you home," he said. Haru then picked up a little grain and tasted it.

" Nagisa, since when did sugar ward off ghosts?" Haru asked. I rolled my eyes and started walking towards the building. Ghosts? Yeah right.

" Salt, sugar it's all the same, right? Anything has magical properties if you believe hard enough!" Nagisa laughed sheepishly, following behind me.

" Yeah, sure," Haru shrugged.

" Same deal with ghosts. People see what they wanna see," Makoto started, forcing himself to move forward, but a loud rattle shattered the silence. He jumped behind Haru, scared.

" Just my foot hitting a can," Nagisa looked back apologetically.

" Nagisa... you're doing this on purpose!" Makoto cried. I moved to the back to walk with Makoto since I could tell he was scared.

" I can't help it if you're scared of your own shadow," Nagisa shrugged jokingly as we continued down the hall.

" Okay, you're not helping at all now," Makoto grumbled, but he still stuck close to me and Haru.

" Sorry, I was just kidding," Nagisa told him. We explored the old locker room and showers until we came upon the lounge.

" Woah, look at this!" Nagisa said as he ran to something on the wall. I ran after him to see what he was looking at.

" Guys! Look over here!" I beckoned them over. It was the old picture of the boys when they won the relay, and one of me when I won my competition.

" These take you back? This is from when we won the relay," Nagisa said. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I was so happy when the boys won, and when Rin pinky promised that he'd write back.

Haru was still standing there as the rest of us turned to leave.

" Haru..." No response. "Haru come on," Haru seemed to snap out of his trance, and he followed behind us as we exited the lounge. We continued walking; Nagisa was leading, followed by Haru, with Makoto gripping the back of his sweatshirt with one hand, and holding the shovel in the other. I ended up walking behind Makoto.

" You think the old markers are there?" Nagisa asked.

" Can we pick up the pace a bit?" Makoto interrupted—voice still slightly shaky with fright. The three of us stopped as a figure started to emerge from the blackness of the hallway. I hid behind Makoto just in case the figure was a crazy person—he was the one with the shovel after all.

" Who's that?" Nagisa asked.

" I don't know…" Makoto replied.

" What are the chances? I didn't think I'd run into you guys," The man said, pulling the band on his cap. I stood there in shock, and my heart started to race…

" Rin?!" Makoto and Nagisa said in unison as Rin took off his hat. I stared at him in shock; I couldn't believe how hot he was now! I had mixed feelings knowing that he was back home. I was happy he's back, but I was mad because he broke our promise. He stopped writing back. Maybe I could finally find out the reason for his silence. Nagisa jumped forward and grabbed his arm, excited to see his old friend again.

" Wow, I can't believe you're back from Australia!" he exclaimed, smiling brightly. Rin hadn't seen me yet—I was still behind Makoto.

" What are you doing back here?" Makoto asked.

" Don't you get it? Fate brought the five of us back together! We all had to be here exactly at the same ti—" Nagisa started, but Rin cut him off.

" Haru, are you seriously still hanging out with these guys? Especially when they can't even count?" He looked at Haru with a harsh glare, "That's a little pathetic." I couldn't believe what he just said; it made me so mad. I stepped in front of Makoto, crossing my arms.

" _ Of course _ Haru still hangs out with us! Friends stick together no matter what, and they don't don't break their promises!" I fumed. He was being an ass. Rin was shocked by my unexpected arrival, but his expression quickly reverted back to the unreadable one he wore when he first approached us.

" Riku," Makoto spoke softly; I knew he wasn't expecting my outburst either.

" I could say the same for you. Learned any new tricks in Australia?" Haru asked, directing Rin's attention towards him.

" Glad you asked. Why don't I show you? Let's race, Haru." Rin said, before walking towards the entrance to the pool. Haru followed, leaving Makoto, Nagisa, and I behind.

" Haru..." I trailed off as I watched him walk away.

" Wait, Haru!" Makoto called after him.

" Did they just ditch us?" Nagisa asked, pouting.

" I think so," Makoto said, and we started running after them. The both of them were undressing. My eye's raked over Rin's muscular body, but he paid no attention to the three of us. He was so hot, but that didn't change the fact that he wasn't the same Rin I grew up with.

" Haru, that's a bad idea!" Makoto warned, a pained expression on his face at Haru's stupidity. I looked at Makoto before looking back to the two boys to see that Haru was wearing his swimming jammers.

" You've been wearing that the whole day?!" Makoto cried, rubbing his temples in exasperation.

" Rin-chan too?" Nagisa sighed. I watched the two of them as they started to run towards the pool.

" Wait! There isn't any water!" I yelled, reaching out a hand in an attempt to stop them. Thankfully, it worked before the two of them absentmindedly dove into the pool.

" That's why I was telling you to stop," Makoto shook his head. Rin scoffed, walking off the starting block and over to his backpack.

" Oh, yeah. Did you guys come here for this?" Rin asked as he held up the trophy.

" Oh, our trophy!" Nagisa said.

" I don't need this thing anymore," Rin said, letting it clatter to the ground.

" Asshole," I glared at Rin as he walked away.

" Rin-chan, he's kinda different," Nagisa said sadly.

" He's more than different. He's a total asshole," I walked over to pick up the trophy, and gave it to Makoto. "We should head home," I sighed. I couldn't believe what had just happened.

  
  
  



	3. Chapter 2

When the four of us tried to sneak out of the swim club, we were met with the blinding beam of a police officer's flashlight.  " What are you kids doing? You're trespassing on private property!" he said sternly.

" We wanted to come and dig up the trophy we buried," Makoto answered, trying to seem nonchalant, but the officer wasn't buying it.

" Before it got destroyed," I added. The police officer's stance softened slightly at my words.

" Go home. I'm going to have a few words with the counselor," He let out a sigh, shaking his head.

I was kind of thankful that he let us go, but I was afraid of what my parents would think. I made sure to get home as fast as I could so they wouldn't ground me for breaking curfew.

As soon as I got into my bedroom, I quickly changed into my pajamas and collapsed onto my bed with a heavy sigh. I didn't even want to think about what happened, but I knew I had to talk about it.

" Hey!" Yukari greeted cheerily as she picked up the phone.

" You're never gonna guess what happened," I breathed, closing my eyes briefly in an attempt to ready myself.

" Ooh! This is the type of distraction I'm looking for. Tell me," Yukari said. I could hear the grin on her face and the way her eyes sparkled at the prospect of gossip and a good distraction. I rolled my own eyes in response—she loved any excuse to put off her homework.

" I went to the old swim club with Haru, Makoto and Nagisa, and Rin was there," I took a deep breath in.

" No way!" she yelled, nearly blowing out my eardrums through the phone. "So, what happened?" she asked.

" He was being a total asshole to us. He and Haru were going to race, but there was no water in the pool. We also kinda got caught by a cop." I told her.

" Maybe he had a bad night?" she reasoned.

" I don't know…" I sighed. I looked up at the clock: 12:00 am. "I should get to bed. I'll text you tomorrow," I said quietly.

" Goodnight, Riku. Don't think about it too much," Yukari told me, before I hung up and went to bed.

.oOo.

Today I decided to leave my icy blue hair down—I was too lazy to style it. When I was younger, my hair was short right up until I started high school. I decided to grow it out, and currently it falls just past my shoulders.

As Haru, Makoto and I entered the school, the Drama Club president, Natsue, came up to me. I groaned under my breath. I wish she would just leave me alone.

" Riku, our first school meeting is after school! We'll be talking about auditions. You should come!" she beamed.

" I quit last year. Remember?" I asked her. I was trying to be civil, but my annoyance was hard to suppress.

" But Ryu isn't in the club anymore!" Natsue said, like that would make any difference.

" Doesn't matter," I shook my head, "I'm not even that talented of an actress." I sighed as I made my way over to Makoto and Haru so we could walk to class together.

The school day was going by rather quickly, and I planned on spending lunch outside with the boys. I was currently doodling in my sketchbook while Haru was laying down on the grass.

" A dream?" Haru asked, voice flat.

" No, it wasn't a dream!" Makoto cried, crossing his arms. "Rin was there!"

" Unfortunately," I muttered to myself.

" But I just don't get it. Rin-chan was really weird," Nagisa's lip stuck out in a pout as he spoke. I raised an eyebrow; that was an understatement if there ever was one.

" Look-alike," Haru offered.

" Who just  _ happened _ to know who we are, and challenged you to a race," Makoto shot back quickly.

" Fine, a ghost then," Haru said as he turned to his side.

" He was solid and definitely not floating," I pointed out.

" An evil doppelganger," Haru said, still not facing us.

" Oh, like in the old days! That game we played when we were kids, Super fusion… doppelganger!" Makoto exclaimed as he made the familiar poses.

" Keep it down," Haru said, trying to close his eyes.

" Don't fall asleep!" Makoto's sigh was full of exasperation, but he didn't make any further move to disturb Haru.

" What were you talking about?" Nagisa asked, mouth full of another Iwatobi cream bread.

" Guys!" Makoto whined, "You remember, don't you?" Makoto asked Haru, who was now sitting up. I looked up at Makoto, watching as he became more and more flustered.

" Riku, you remember, right?" Makoto asked me.

" No," I shook my head and laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

" Why are you laughing?" his question was genuine.

" I just think it's funny," I shrugged, smiling at him as I got up. "I'm heading back to class early. I'll see you guys there," I waved until they were just specks in the distance.

" Miss Matsumura, the counselor wants to see you after school," Amakata-sensei said. A chorus of 'oohs' echoed through the room. I knew exactly what was going on. It's only the third day of school, and I'm already in trouble...my father would be so proud.

Time seemed to slow during class, and for once I'm thankful for it. Haru skipped after last period, so it was just me, Makoto, and Nagisa.

" Are you that stupid? Just because a place is abandoned doesn't mean you couldn't have asked for permission! What you did was still trespassing," he scolded us.

" Yes sir. I'm sorry," Makoto hung his head.

" Yeah, me too," Nagisa said, although he didn't look very remorseful.

" So very sorry," I added. The counselor let out a sigh, rubbing his temples.

" Where's Nanase?" he asked flatly.

" He left earlier sir," Makoto replied.

The counselor closed his eyes and took a deep breath,  " Of course he did."

" Now, now," Amakata-sensei started, raising a finger at us, "I think you've lectured them enough. Let us remember the words of Li Bai, 'one may never raise an empty glass to the moon. It's foolish not to drink from the glass before you'. The point of that saying is you only live once so do what you want. Do we not have the right to seek happiness as we see fit? After all, what good is human accomplishment if it fails to bring us, am I right?" She looked at all of us, "Right guys?" she asked.

" May we be excused?" I asked him.

" Yes," he sighed.

As the three of us walked out, Makoto brought up the idea of checking if Rin went to Iwatobi. I decided to help even though I was angry with the way Rin treated us. He wasn't the same guy I had feelings for when we were kids.

" If he really moved back, wouldn't we have seen him by now?" I asked Makoto as we searched the lockers. But he didn't answer; he was too preoccupied with the search.

" Bingo!" Makoto yelled excitedly. Nagisa and I went over to the row of lockers he was in front of. I bent down to look at the name scrawled across the nameplate.

"Wait, no," Makoto's brow furrowed, "Matsuoka…Gou?" Makoto questioned, obviously not recognizing the name.

" Isn't that Rin's little sister?" I asked.

Realization dawned on his face,  " Yeah!"

" We should go tell Haru!" Nagisa beamed, linking arms with me.

I followed the boys to Haru's house, only to find Gou standing in front of the door. She didn't notice us until I went to tap her on the shoulder. She jumped, nearly dropping her schoolbag. But despite the scare, she agreed to talk with the four of us under a nearby gazebo.

" So, Gou, you go to Iwatobi High too?" Nagisa asked, his eyes were eager, but he was getting a little too into the other girl's personal space.

" Don't call me Gou—it's pronounced Kou," she huffed, scowling at the blond-haired boy.

" But you're named after the famous warlord's daughter!" Nagisa didn't seem to understand why that was the problem.

" Sure, but that was forever ago, so call me Kou! You should respect a girl's wishes," she told him.

" So," Makoto interjected, "Moving right along."

" Don't gloss it over!" Gou cried, running her hands through her hair. I chuckled behind a hand. I didn't mean to laugh, but some things never change.

" Uh…sorry," Makoto apologized, smiling sheepishly. "So, what were you doing at Haru's place?" Makoto asked her.

" I...umm...was going to ask him about my brother," she avoided Makoto's gaze, instead opting to stare at her freshly-clipped nails.

" So that wasn't a doppelganger; he's really back from Australia," Makoto murmured to no one in particular.

Apparently, Rin was going to Samezuka, which was a boarding school with a powerful swim team. Nagisa insisted on visiting Rin, but I honestly didn't want to go. Of course, I got dragged along anyway. A part of me was curious what Rin had to say, but the other wasn't ready to hear it. I mean, after all this time, did Rin really break his promise because he didn't feel the same? That was something that I hated thinking about.

As we walked to the train station, Nagisa asked a question out of the blue,  " Riku-chan, doesn't your boyfriend get jealous when you hang out with us?"

_ Boyfriend? What's he talking about? _

" I don't have a boyfriend, Nagisa," I frowned, "I was seeing someone last year, but he kept accusing me of cheating with Makoto or Haru. I couldn't trust him at all. It didn't matter how many times I told him it wasn't like that—he never took me seriously. And it turns out he was the one cheating. His  _ other _ girlfriend, Yukari, texted thinking I was his brother," I shook my head, "I gave him the opportunity to come clean, but he didn't, so I broke up with him," I shrugged. "If someone ever wants to date me, they need to understand that you guys have been my best friends since we were kids, and that's never gonna change," I gave him a small smile.

" He really was a jerk," Makoto scowled, looking furious. Makoto was always the protective one.

" The only good thing I got out of that relationship is Yukari," I smiled, thinking of my friend.

" You still talk to her?" Nagisa asked.

" Of course. She broke up with him as soon as she found out. Besides, I need someone to talk to about girl stuff," I rolled my eyes as the train pulled into the station.

.oOo.

The four of us waited until nightfall to enter the pool house. I had no interest in watching the other swimmers—I was more concerned with getting caught again.

" I still think this is gonna get us into trouble," Makoto whispered, but Haru wasted no time diving right into the water.

" Just look at him. Still swims like a dolphin," Nagisa commented, letting a small smile grace his lips at the familiar sight, before looking over at me and Makoto. "Hey, let's jump in!" Nagisa grinned.

" Are you nuts?! We're going to get in so much trouble if they find us! The whole point of coming was to find Rin," Makoto pleaded with Nagisa, who was already undoing his tie.

" Let's just do a few laps." He took off his shirt, "As long as nobody turns on the lights, no one will find us," Nagisa tried to reassure him.

" You don't even have a swimsuit!" Makoto yelled, before Nagisa took his pants off. I turned around; nobody needed to see Nagisa naked.

"A little skinny dipping never hurt anybody!" he yelled, and I heard a splash moments later. A second splash followed. It was probably Makoto.

" I'm waiting outside!" I winced as I started to make my way to the door. But just as I reached for the handle, it opened, and a tall red-haired boy stood in front of me.

" What the hell is this?" Rin looked at me, then to the pool. "What the hell are you bastards doing here?" They didn't seem fazed.

" Hi Rin!" Nagisa waved, "We were just looking for you!"

" Get out," Rin growled. I don't think he was in any mood for comedy.

" But Rin…" Nagisa trailed off as Haru swam in front of them.

" Free," he uttered, barely audible, "I only swim free or did you forget?" his voice grew louder, and he pulled himself out of the pool. I watched the two as Rin challenged Haru to a race.  _ What the hell is happening? _ I turned around to let Nagisa dress himself. It was going to be close, but in the end Rin won. Haru seemed indifferent, but Rin was filled with fiery anger; he grabbed Haru by the goggles and pulled him closer.

" Hey! What's going on here?" a teacher asked as he came onto the deck.

" Shit," I cursed under my breath. This was not gonna be good.

" You're trespassing on private property," the room was dark, so I couldn't tell what kind of face he was wearing, but I knew it wasn't a happy one.

" Sorry, we were just looking for Rin so we could talk to him," Nagisa answered, like the teacher knew just who that was and why we were looking for him.

He looked over to Rin and Haru,  " You two get dressed." Then he directed his gaze to the rest of us, "You and this one," he pointed to Haru, "go to Iwatobi, right? I'm going to call the school in the morning."

" My dad isn't going to be happy when he finds out," I muttered.

" We're very sorry. We'll leave as soon as Haru gets dressed," Makoto bowed as Haru and Rin both got out of the pool.

" Do you want me to walk you home, Riku?" Makoto asked me.

" You don't have to do that. I'll be fine," I gave him a reassuring smile.

" It's too dark to walk home by yourself Riku-chan," Nagisa agreed, wringing the water out of his shirt.

" I can protect myself," I crossed my arms as I looked over to Rin, who was staring at us. His eyes narrowed on me and Makoto.

" You know how your mom worries about you, Riku," Makoto said gently.

" Fine," I sighed, letting Makoto fall beside me as we walked out of the pool.

The entire walk back to the train station, I was worrying about what my father would say. I assumed the counselor hadn't called home because it was the first time we got in trouble, at least with Samezuka. My father already wanted me to follow in his footsteps of designing and building rollercoasters, but I'm still not sure what I want to do besides draw. At least I still had time to figure it out.

  
  
  



	4. Chapter 3

_ Beep beep beep _ . I let out a groan when I heard my alarm go off. I was never a morning person, and if I didn't sleep well the night before it was harder for me to get out of bed. If I could skip school and stay in bed all day to avoid the inevitable lecture, I would. My eyes studied the ceiling as I continued to lay in bed.

" Riku! You're going to be late," My mom knocked on my bedroom door in an attempt to get me up.

" Coming," I yawned, rubbing my eyes sleepily as I sat up. A sigh escaped my lips as I got out of bed and stretched—I felt my back crick painfully, and I winced. Before I went to sleep last night, I put my school uniform on my desk chair because I knew it would take some time for me to get out of bed. After I got dressed, I dragged myself downstairs to be greeted by my step-mom, lunch in hand.

" I made you lunch so you wouldn't be late. Let me know if you're going to be with Nanase and Tachibana after school," she handed me the bento box wrapped in cloth.

" Thanks mom, and I will," I smiled as I hugged her.

I didn't want to keep Makoto and Haru waiting long, so I picked up the pace as soon as I left my house. On mornings like these they usually get there first. As I approached the spot, I could see Haru and Makoto in the distance, "Sorry guys!" I called as I ran to them. "I didn't want to get out of bed this morning."

.oOo.

As soon as I stepped foot in the school, I started getting nervous. My hands felt clammy, and I wiped them on my pants. Maybe today would be a good day to go home late—there was no way my parents weren't going to find out. Amakata-sensei said the counselor wanted to see us at the end of the day.

Morning classes went by too fast for comfort. The time I had left to live was quickly disappearing. I was eating lunch on the roof with Nagisa; Haru and Makoto were busy today. With what, I have no idea.

" I'm sure everything's gonna be fine, Riku-chan!" Nagisa smiled through a mouthful of sandwich. At least he wasn't eating that disgusting bread today.

" Dad isn't gonna be happy," I sighed, worrying my lip between my teeth. "Ever since I started high school, he's been pushing me to follow in his footsteps. My brother and sister got to choose for themselves, so what makes me any different?" I looked down at the open bento box on my lap, "I think I'm gonna hang out with you guys after school. Hopefully, my dad will be on a business call so I can sneak in."

" Ooh! You could finally be a ninja!" Nagisa laughed.

I sighed, shaking my head,  " I can't believe you remember that. Besides, that's when we were kids." I frowned as I stared at my hands. Thinking about that day reminded me of Rin and the boy he used to be.

.oOo.

When the last bell rang, Haru, Makoto and I trudged our way to the administration office for another lecture. Nagisa was already standing there, looking sheepish.

" Really! Do you even feel a shred of remorse?" the counselor scolded us, crossing his arms as he waited for one of us to respond.

" We're really sorry," we bowed in unison.

" What's with you guys and trespassing on private property?! First an old building, and now another school?! You're lucky the administrators are willing to look the other way. Otherwise you four would be up to your necks in formal charges," his voice was stern, but I could tell he really didn't want to deal with us again.

" Now, now sir," Amakata-sensei came up to us, "I think they've learned their lesson. In fact, I believe there's a saying that applies here. The Great Duke Ty once said, 'if you flush a goldfish—'"

" Fish don't break the law;" the counselor cut her off.

" No. No they don't. Excuse me," Amakata-sensei bowed her head, taking her leave, and the four of us were dismissed shortly after.

" It sucks that Ama-chan couldn't help us out there," Nagisa said glumly.

" Yeah, now I really want to know how that fish saying goes," Makoto tried to lighten the mood. "Hey Haru—" Makoto started, but when he turned to pose the question, Haru was gone.

Makoto frowned slightly, "Where'd he go?"

" He started walking away a few minutes ago," I informed him. Makoto was about to inquire further, but I shushed him, noticing Kou approaching us.

" Hey Gou!" Nagisa greeted brightly.

" I told you to call me Kou!" Gou huffed in annoyance, crossing her arms.

" Yeah, but does it really matter?" Nagisa asked, feigning innocence.

" Of course it does! Kou!" she cried. I shook my head. Nagisa was making our lives difficult.

" Gou!" Nagisa shot back. The two of them went back and forth until Kou inevitably slipped up. She groaned, but ushered us into a stairwell to ask us some questions anyway.

" So, did you guys get a chance to talk to my brother?" Kou asked.

" Yeah about that... I don't want to be rude or hurt your feelings or anything, but he was a complete jerk! I mean, we haven't seen the guy in four years and the very first thing he does is challenge Haru to a race while acting like the rest of us weren't even there!" Nagisa cried, puffing out his cheeks in the way he did when he was upset. "We didn't even get a chance to talk to him. Not even a simple hello!"

" I had no interest in talking to him in the first place," I folded my arms as I leaned against the wall. "He's a total asshole now." A part of me was interested in what Rin had to say, but after last night I regretted being dragged along.

" What about you, Kou?" Makoto asked. Kou only shrugged, twirling a strand of her ponytail around her finger.

" I've emailed him, called his cellphone,  _ and _ called the landline at his dorm, but he never answers."

" It sounds like he really is a different person. Did something happen in Australia?" Nagisa asked.

" Honestly, I have no idea. I thought maybe after he saw you guys, he would've opened up about it," she said.

" You're the reason he showed up that night?" I asked. Now this was news.

" I wouldn't say that  _ exactly _ !" she winced. "I was just trying to help. I overheard your conversation and told him about the swim club."

" Why don't we start a swim club at school?" Nagisa offered nonchalantly, like it was the most obvious option.

" What?" I couldn't believe what he just said.

" We can compete in tournaments with Rin!" Nagisa looked excited at that notion.

" I'm not sure Haru would be on board with something like that," Makoto sighed. There was no one who knew Haru better than Makoto, but even I knew it would take some serious convincing.

" Let's go ask him then!" Nagisa gave us a smile before grabbing Makoto's sleeve, pulling him along with him. I sighed as I fell in step with Kou.

.oOo.

When we got to Haru's place, Makoto and Nagisa went to find Haru, who was still in the bath. I was sitting with Kou, drawing in my sketchbook. The room was quiet.

" Do you think Haru will say no?" Kou said.

" I hope not; I miss competing," I twirled the pencil in my hand.

" So Rin didn't want to talk to you either? You guys always seemed closed," Kou asked.

" No," I shook my head, "It doesn't matter if we were close then. He's an asshole now," I grumbled

There was a loud crack as the door hit the wall, nearly flying out of the track,  " Haru said yes!" Nagisa yelled as he bounded through the open door. Makoto and Haru trailed behind him. Haru was currently drying himself off with a towel.

" Are you sure about this?" Makoto asked, still unsure. "A swim club is going to be a lot of work. That means you'll have to help out too," He told the raven-haired boy.

" S'fine," Haru mumbled, starting to dry off his arms.

" Oh Haru, I totally forgot!" Nagisa pointed to Kou, "This is Rin's little sister."

" Umm, hello. It's very nice to see you again, Haruka." Kou greeted, forcing the dreamy look off her face and schooling it into a smile.

" …It's Kou, right?" Haru said flatly, and Kou's smile grew.

" I'm sorry for what my brother did yesterday," she apologized.

" S'fine," Haru muttered again as he put on his sweatshirt and apron, walking into the kitchen—probably to cook some mackerel.

" So Kou, is this the first time Rin's come back home?" Makoto inquired.

" Rin came back for the holidays every year, but that's it," she shrugged, picking at the little threads sticking out of the carpet.

" Wait, you're saying Rin came back every year and didn't get in touch with any of us?!" Nagisa's eyes widened, and he frowned, "Man, what a jerk." I stared at Kou in disbelief. Rin came home every year.  _ Every year _ . He never mentioned anything like that in his letters; even when I mentioned all the things he could do when he got home. Finding that out now, it hurt me; and I felt betrayed. He could have at least rejected me in person. It would have been a whole lot better than not writing back after I told him how I felt.

" You okay, Riku-chan?" Nagisa prodded my shoulder, and I jumped.

" Uh, yeah," I tried to give him a reassuring smile as I stood up. "I should get going. My mom is expecting me," I lied.

" I thought you wanted to stay for a bit, Riku-chan!" Nagisa pouted, giving me his patented puppy eyes.

" My mom texted me; she wants me to help with dinner. I'll see you guys tomorrow," the words were spoken quickly to avoid any more questions.

On my walk home, I couldn't help but think about Rin. How could he come back home and not tell any of us?! I had no idea what happened in Australia, but whatever it was changed him, and I felt like it wasn't for the better either.

.oOo.

I took a deep breath in as soon as I walked in the door. I didn't want to face my step-mom yet. I didn't want to talk about Rin coming back home or my reason for going to Samezuka Academy. But she was always the understanding type and never judged me on my choices, unlike Koji and occasionally Kaori; although Kaori has gotten better since she started high school. When I entered the door, my step-mom came in to greet me.

" Hi Riku. Do you want to help me with dinner?" she asked me, pulling me in for a hug. I nodded before I ran upstairs to change out of my uniform and throw my backpack on my bed. Dad's office was closed, which meant he didn't want to be disturbed.

" Is dad on another conference call?" I asked her as I walked up to the counter.

" Yes, but he should be done soon," noticing my inactivity, she pointed to the pile of vegetables ready to be chopped. I grabbed a knife from the block and started chopping.

"The guidance counselor called earlier today," she mentioned. Her tone was even, so I couldn't tell how she was feeling.

I stopped chopping to look at her, "I'm really sorry! Nagisa dragged me with them last night. I won't do it again. Promise!" I looked at her with pleading eyes, begging her to understand me.

" I'm not mad at you," she gave me a reassuring smile.

" What about dad?" my voice was nearly a whisper.

" I didn't tell him. He's already hard enough on you," she said.

" Why aren't you mad?" I asked, going back to chopping the vegetables, but still listening intently.

" You're only a teenager once. It's okay to make mistakes and have a little fun. I can understand why you went to the old swim club, and that's why I didn't say anything yesterday. What I don't understand is why you guys went to Samezuka Academy," she looked at me, waiting for an answer. I stared at my shoes. I didn't really want to tell her why we went to Samezuka.

" I don't want to talk about it." My chopping slowed, melancholier than before.

" You can tell me when you're ready. I'm always here for you, Riku," she reminded me as she continued cooking.

When my father finally finished his conference call, dinner was ready. We went through the pleasantries of a normal day until I told them about starting a swim club at school.

" That's great, Riku!" My mother praised, smiling brightly.

" You should be focusing on your grades and your drawing," my father reminded me. I felt a twinge of anger.

" If I get all the way to nationals then I could get scouted and end up going to a good school," I told him. He was silent as he thought for a moment.

" That would be good. You could get into the same college that I went to!" he gave me a practiced smile.

" Yeah." I tried to smile back before I looked down at my plate.

" Are Makoto, Haruka, and Nagisa going to be a part of it too?" mom asked me, and I nodded. "You should invite them over when the pool's heating is fixed. It would be so nice to have them over like you did in elementary school," she beamed at me.

" I know Nagisa will be excited, he always enjoyed your cooking," I laughed, a more genuine smile gracing my lips.

" Just make sure your grades don't fall behind," my father warned, pointing a roasted vegetable at me with his chopsticks.

" Yes, father," I glanced up at him quickly; then just as quickly returned to my food.

After dinner, I helped my mom load the dishwasher before going up to my room to do my homework. I thought I should text Yukari too. Knowing her, she'd probably want a distraction from her studies.

**Me: You're never gonna guess what I found out today**

**_Yukari: Does it have to do with a certain someone? ;)_ **

**Me: …Yes. Apparently, he came home every year around the holidays**

**_Yukari: How did you figure that out?!_ **

**Me: His little sister told us. Btw, we're starting a swim club**

**_Yukari: That's awesome! Can I be the unofficial Iwatobi Swim Club cheerleader?!_ **

**Me: I don't think it'll be a problem, but I'll have to talk to the guys**

**_Yukari: Awesome! Also, about the whole Rin thing, he should've told you in person about…you know. It was shitty of him to stop writing_ **

**Me: Tell me about it**

**_Yukari: Maybe one day you'll find out why. I know it's been eating you up inside since he came back. Don't worry too much about it; focus on the new swim club! I'm seriously so excited!! You may even find someone better-looking than Rin! ;p_ **

**Me: I'll try my best, but I gotta do my homework now. Don't procrastinate too much Yukari**

**_Yukari: Haha, I won't. Goodnight Riku :)_ **

I put my phone on my nightstand and smiled to myself. Talking to Yukari always put me in a better mood. It was also exciting that she planned on coming to the tournaments. I was thankful that she always did her best to cheer me up, especially now that Rin's back. If I talked about Rin with the boys, they might get tired of listening to me (or maybe give good advice like Yukari did, but I wasn't ready to find out). I never told them about my crush on Rin, and that was probably a good decision. Things didn't go according to plan.

  
  
  



	5. Chapter 4

The next day at lunch, Nagisa whipped out a club application form. We spent most of the period figuring out who would get which role. Makoto and Haru were captain and vice-captain, respectively, Nagisa was the treasurer, and I was going to be the secretary. But if we get more members I'd gladly step down. All we needed was a faculty advisor, and Nagisa thought Amakata-sensei would be the perfect person to do it.

"You really think Amakata-sensei is gonna say yes?" I asked.

"Based on the crazy rumor that's been going around, I'm pretty sure she would," a devilish grin spread on his face. Makoto and Haru weren't paying any attention.

"What are you talking about?" I didn't know anything about a rumor. Where did Nagisa hear this stuff?!

"I was told she had a job in Tokyo that had something to do with swimwear," he whispered like it was classified information.

"It could just be a rumor," I shrugged as I continued to eat my lunch. "Either way, I hope she'll do it. She seems really nice."

Suddenly my phone buzzed. I pulled it out of my pocket to see who it was: Yukari.

**_Yukari: I'll be outside Iwatobi at the end of the day. It's been too long since I've seen you and I really need to get out of my apartment. Hope you brought clothes! :)_ **

Of course, the  _ one day _ Yukari wanted to hang out after school, I didn't bring a change of clothes. But it didn't really matter; if I told her I didn't bring any, she'd let me borrow some of hers.

"Yukari is taking me out after school, so I can't come with you to talk to Amakata-sensei."

"You have to come, Riku-chan! It'll only be a few minutes! Pretty please!" Nagisa pleaded, hanging onto my arm.

"Fine."

**Me: I have to go with the boys to ask a teacher to be our club advisor. It'll only be a few minutes. Also, I didn't bring any clothes with me today…**

**_Yukari: Don't worry about it! You can borrow some of mine. :)_ **

.oOo.

As soon as we finished lunch, we headed back to class. Time felt sluggish. I mean, it was something that usually happened when I'm looking forward to something, so I guess it's to be expected. When the final bell rang, Makoto, Haru, and I met Nagisa at the Administration Office.

While Nagisa and Makoto went in to persuade Ms. Amakata, I waited outside with Haru.

"It's exciting that we get to swim together again," I said, trying to make conversation. Haruka was generally a quiet person; and even though I know that, it can still get awkward sometimes.

"Mmm."

I sighed. Haruka really wasn't one for words.

"Hopefully the heating system in the pool room is fixed. It'd be nice to have a place to practice during the off-season. Especially since the old SC shut down," the doorknob turned, and I looked up. Makoto and Nagisa stood there, smiling. Nagisa's eyes were ridiculously sparkly.

"She said yes!" Nagisa cheered, pumping his fist in the air.

"Now we just need to get the charter approved," Makoto said.

"It will be! We'll all be swimming again in no time," I said, smiling as I started to turn. "I'll see you—"

"Wait, Riku-chan! I wanna meet Yukari!" Nagisa grabbed my wrist and linked our arms together. Well, there was no point in arguing. Nagisa never took no for an answer. The blond-haired boy blathered on about all the ways we could recruit new members as we made our way out of the school.

Yukari was waiting close to the entrance, but she was on her phone, not really paying attention. I tapped her shoulder and she gasped, nearly dropping her phone.

"God Riku, you scared me," she laughed, pulling me into a hug. I couldn't help but laugh along with her.

When she pulled away, I gestured to Nagisa, "This is Nagisa Hazuki. I swam with him in middle school." I pointed to Yukari, "Nagisa, this is Yukari Kinoshita."

"Nice to meet you Hazuki-kun," she grinned, shaking his outstretched hand. She looked over his shoulder at Makoto and Haruka, who'd apparently followed us out, "Nice to see you Tachibana-kun, Nanase-kun! I'm excited to watch you guys swim as your unofficial cheerleader!"

"You didn't tell us your friend's gonna be our cheerleader!" Nagisa whined, grabbing my arm.

"I was planning on telling you guys once we entered a tournament," I sighed. Yukari held up a bag of clothing for me to take.

"Don't worry about returning them," she said. "They're yours now. I wanted to give you a little something for starting a swim club."

I grabbed her into a side hug, grinning, "Thank you! You're so sweet," Yukari only smiled in response.

"I'll be right back," I took the bag and glanced back at the others. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." The boys waved as they began to walk home.

Yukari had brought me a white short-sleeve top, a black plaid skirt, a grey bomber jacket, black tights, and black combat boots. I recognized the jacket, shirt and boots were clothes that Yukari had in her closet. I shook my head. She didn't need to buy me anything. But I dressed myself quickly anyway. When I was finished, I hurried back outside.

"You didn't have to give me your clothes or buy me a skirt."

She giggled, shaking her head, "I saw that skirt yesterday and knew it was perfect for you, so I went through my closet to complete the look." I bet I had a ridiculous expression on my face right then, but Yukari kept talking, "You should come over and take whatever clothes you want. I'm trying to get rid of some stuff that I don't wear anymore."

I was baffled, "How are you so nice." Yukari just laughed, linking arms with me.

"So where are we going?" I asked.

"Hmm... to go get some ice cream and walk around town." Yukari's face lit up as some random idea ran through her head, "Could we go by the old swim club?! I want to see how creepy it looks at night."

"If you want."

.oOo.

As we walked around town, waiting for night to fall, Yukari was telling me all about Tokyo. I couldn't help but laugh as she told me how she flirted with her professor thinking that he was a student. I guess he looked way younger than he actually was. That's totally a Yukari thing to do.

"I've sworn off flirting with guys in my classes from now on. I don't want that to happen again," she sighed, laughing.

"I really missed hanging out with you," I said, before looking forward; we were nearing the swim club. In the distance I noticed that someone else was walking towards the dilapidated building. I didn't think anything of it until we got closer: it was Rin. I grabbed Yukari by the arm and pulled her behind a streetlamp.

"What's up, Riku?" Yukari asked, confusion evident on her face.

"Rin just went into the swim club."

"Really? You should give him a piece of your mind" she nudged me.

"No," I shook my head, "Now isn't the time."

"Why? It's the perfect time!" I shushed her with a stern glance and finger to my lips; I didn't want him to hear us.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"It doesn't make sense that he came back here after the way he treated us the other night. I have a feeling that this isn't the right time."

"Okay. Can I at least try to see what he looks like?" Yukari asked.

I sighed—there was no stopping Yukari. "Just don't be obvious. I'll be up the street," I pointed to the street we walked through on the way here.

I watched her from a distance. She was pretending to talk on the phone while she waited for Rin to leave. It was making me nervous; I didn't want Rin to see me and think I was stalking him. Even from this far away, I could see how Yukari's eyes widened when Rin walked through the door. She waited until he was out of sight before running over to me, grinning wildly.

"He's really hot!" she breathed. "Too bad he's an asshole."

"I know," I huffed, crossing my arms. Yukari sighed, pulling my arms apart and squeezing my hand. She held onto me the whole way home. It was comforting—to know someone really cared about me. But as I thought about the evening again, it made me wonder why Rin came all the way to the Iwatobi SC.

"Try to put him out of your mind. It's not going to do any good—thinking about him," Yukari advised.

"I know."

"Can we go back to your place for a while? I have some time before the next train," she asked.

"You know my mom's gonna give you a ride home anyway," I said. Yukari nodded because she knew I was right; most of the time my mom would drive Yukari back so she didn't have to take the train by herself late at night.

.oOo.

The next day, Amakata-sensei told us our charter was approved, but we needed five members to establish the club. Another downside was that we had to make the pool usable—that meant cleaning and fixing it up. So, we cleared out all the weeds, plastered the cracks and repainted the pool. It was a lot of work, but I was determined to get the pool fixed as soon as possible.

"Riku-chan, you should help me recruit new members!" Nagisa said, holding up a little Iwatobi keychain.

"You really think someone's gonna want that thing?" I pointed at the keychain. I always thought the mascot was a more than a bit creepy.

"Yeah, come on Riku-chan! You're always so positive about these things!" Nagisa started to drag me down the hallway, "We'll split up down here to try to get some new members!" then he ran off in the opposite direction.

"I can't believe him," I muttered as I walked over to a group of chattering girls. "Hey, do you guys want to join the Swim Club?"

"Why would anyone want to join a swim club when the ocean is right over there," one of the girls rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, it sounds totally stupid," another added.

I walked away. We didn't need girls like that in our club—too much negativity.

As I walked through the hallway, I saw a group of guys. I decided to try my luck.

"Do you guys want to join the Swim Club?" I asked them.

Two of the guys looked at each other before turning back to me, "Aren't you that girl who cheated on her boyfriend? With those guys you always hang with?" one of them said, staring at me.

"No, they're just friends."

I sighed. This was useless. Hopefully Nagisa would have some luck finding new members.

I wasn't getting anywhere, so I decided to head to the club room to see what Makoto and Haru were up to.

Haru was still carving those unnerving keychains, and Makoto was sitting in a metal chair looking dejected.

"Any luck?" the brunet asked.

"No," I shook my head, "But I'm sure Nagisa will have better luck than me."

"If three girls joined, would you consider competing in a relay?" Makoto asked.

"When I watched you guys in that relay, it was something I'd never seen before. It made me want to swim with you guys, so I figured the best way to do that would be at practice. I don't want to swim with anyone else."

Makoto's gentle smile faded as Nagisa burst into the club room and threw himself onto the bench.

"This really stinks. Not one single person wants to join," he whined.

"I'm starting to think that we cleaned up that pool for nothing," Makoto hung his head.

"Don't say that!" Nagisa cried, running his hands through his hair. "It's time for us to use our secret weapon. Ama-chan needs to give us the shirt off her back."

"What do you mean?" I was skeptical. Nagisa's plans generally involve a little too much mischief.

"People might not love the swim club, but I bet they'd love to watch her prance around in a swimsuit. Right? We have to be proactive."

Typical Nagisa. I closed my eyes for a second—this really  was ridiculous.

"I see… so the shirt off her back comment was literal," Makoto looked uneasy.

"I'm sorry boys, but absolutely not," Ms. Amakata glared at them, her eyes murderous. "Here's the deal: if you force me to do this, I'll walk. I promised myself I'd never wear a swimsuit again. And I have no intention of going back," she smiled. "Are we clear?"

"Crystal."

She huffed, leaving as fast as she came in. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Nagisa break into another devilish grin. I already knew what he was going to suggest.

"Absolutely not."

I turned him down before he could open his mouth.

"You don't even know what I was gonna say!" he grabbed onto my arm, pouting.

"You were going to ask me to walk around in a swimsuit to recruit people."

Nagisa looked sheepish, and he decided that—to preserve his life—he should get out of there. I sighed, but grabbed the paint and headed out to the pool deck.

The others were already hard at work.

"Hey Riku-chan, do you think you could paint cool designs in the pool?" Nagisa asked, brandishing his paintbrush.

"I don't think the school would let me do something like that."

"It doesn't hurt to ask," he shrugged. I looked over to Makoto who was talking to Kou next to the fence. Kou said something, and Nagisa gasped.

"Did she say what I think she said?" he asked.

"Yeah! Kou just offered to be our fifth member," Makoto smiled.

"That's awesome!" Nagisa beamed. "Do you know what this means? The swim club is officially open for business!"

This was my chance to swim with Haru, Makoto, and Nagisa again. I felt the corners of my lips turn up; we had so much fun together when we were kids. My smile faded as I realized that we would inevitably run into Rin at tournaments. I wasn't sure how to feel about that.

  
  
  



	6. Chapter 5

The administrators filled the pool earlier than expected; so, to celebrate, we got together to throw the chlorine tabs in. As usual, Haru decided to jump into the pool—not at all bothered by the chilly April weather. Apparently, he hadn't learned. We'd finally gotten him out of the water, but two days later he ended up at home with a cold. 

"We should get Haru-chan some Iwatobi Surprise Bread! That always makes  _ me _ feel better," Nagisa smiled. We were on our way to the store to pick up some stuff for Haru. 

"I don't think Haru's going to want that," I rolled my eyes. Nagisa always thought with his stomach. "We should bring him things that will help him get better. Like tissues and tea."

Nagisa sighed, but it didn't take long for him to perk up again; he was probably just going to buy Iwatobi Surprise Bread for himself.

.oOo.

When the three of us got to Haru's place, he definitely looked sick. We all crowded around him, offering our gifts in earnest. Haru's nose was red, and he sneezed.

"That doesn't sound good," Nagisa said.

"Are you okay?" Makoto asked. He seemed worried, despite how often Haru got sick (although he liked to deny it).

Haru sniffed, "I know what grandma would say about this: I'm sneezing because someone's talking about me." Makoto handed him a tissue.

Nagisa's eyes sparkled, "It must be Rin!"

"It's also possible he's just sick. After all, you did decide to go swimming in April," Makoto sighed.

"I'm not some baby that just  _ gets _ sick—" Haru stopped mid-sentence to let out a sneeze.

"It's not warm enough to swim yet. We just have to hit the gym until the weather gets nicer," the brunet replied.

Nagisa decided that now was a great time to interrupt, "Guess what Gou told me!" he started, "Rin just joined the Samezuka swim team."

Now _ that _ made me look up from my sketch.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, looking at Makoto. I turned to look at him too.

"I wouldn't worry about it," he said. "But since he's on the team now, there's a chance we'll see him at a tournament."

I still wasn't unsure if seeing him again would be a good thing or bad thing after what happened at the swim club. He was still a jerk, but deep down I  _ really _ wanted answers.

"So, let's sign up for one already! We could totally dominate the relays!" Nagisa's excited yells broke me out of my thoughts. Right. I was still at Haru's house.

"I only swim free," Haru said blankly.

"Are you saying you don't do relays anymore?" Nagisa eyes were pleading, "Come on Haru, just swim with us!"

"You need to find someone else if you wanna swim relays," I said.

Makoto smiled at me gently, "Yeah, you're right."

"Does that mean we have to find another swimmer to join the team?" Nagisa stood up dramatically.

I sighed, going back to my sketch, but Nagisa kept talking, "Are you sure you don't want to wear your—"

"Yes, I'm sure." I cut Nagisa off before he could get too far into his plan. He groaned and slumped his shoulders. I sighed. Nagisa was such a drama queen. "Don't worry we'll find another member soon."

.oOo.

For the rest of the time we spent at Haru's, Nagisa kept listing off different ideas to get new members. Every idea he had was an automatic 'no'; it was either too ridiculous or too far-fetched. But soon enough, it was time for me to head home. When I arrived, my father ushered me into his office to show off his latest coaster design for an American theme park.

"What do you think? I'm trying to come up with a good theme," he pointed at the drawing. The idea involved dragons of some sort. I knew he was testing me. My father started asking my opinion much more recently because I had to start thinking about college soon.

"It's good, but I think you could change some stuff."

My father handed me the pencil and watched as I added and erased things. When I was finished, he looked over the changes I made.

"I like this design much more! You always amaze me, Riku," he said, patting my shoulder. I could tell he was trying to win me over. It wasn't working.

"Thanks. Can I go do my homework now?"

He didn't even look up from the notes he was now making, "Yes."

As soon as I reached my room, I got out my homework and called Yukari. I felt like talking to her while I worked.

She picked up on the second ring, "Hey Riku! I was just thinking about you!"

"Because you need a distraction, right?"

"Yep!" she laughed, not sounding sheepish at all. "Anything new with the swim club?"

"Kou agreed to be our manager, so we're officially a swim club."

"Isn't Kou, Rin's little sister?"

"Yeah. She came over sometimes when we all hung out."

"It'll be nice having another girl around, but why haven't you kept in touch with her?"

"I wasn't close to her like I was to Rin." I took a breath, and changed the subject, "This also means that there's a chance I'll see Rin at tournaments."

"What did I tell you? Try not to think about him so much. Focus on the swim club and kicking ass at those tournaments!" I could almost see her crossing her arms right now.

"Okay," I looked down at my school work, clenching my pencil tightly. "Well, I have some homework that I need to finish, so I'll talk to you later. Don't worry, I'll still give you updates. Night."

"Goodnight, and don't worry!"

I hung up the phone.

.oOo.

After school, we gathered in the clubroom because Kou had something to show us. It was a flier for a place we could use to train during the off season. Haru took the flier, inspecting it closely.

"Who's paying?"

"The club, who else?" Kou smiled.

"Oh yeah, the money," Nagisa giggled sheepishly.

"Just looking at the flier, I can tell the dues are going to be high. Do you honestly think we can get that kind of money?" Makoto asked.

Haru was staring intently at the piece of paper, "Maybe we should give up." Makoto shot Haruka a knowing glare; it was easy to see what he was up to.

"No way," Haru turned away, crossing his arms defiantly.

"It would be a nice alternative since we can't use my pool right now," I said.

"We'll be able to swim all year round!" Nagisa cried, throwing his hands in the air.

.oOo.

"I'm sorry, but that's just not possible," Amakata-sensei apprehended the five of us.

"What? How come?" Nagisa shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"Well, frankly it wouldn't be responsible of the school to provide that kind of funding to a new club that doesn't have any sort of track record. This reminds me of an aphorism from the bible, 'He who does not work, shall not eat.'"

"I don't think that proverb applies to our situation," Makoto sighed, shaking his head slightly at Ms. Amakata's antics.

"Yeah how are you supposed to eat a pool?" Nagisa added, and I slapped a hand to my forehead. How could he be that stupid?

"You're saying all we have to do is rack up some accomplishments, and you can get us the money?" Kou asked.

"That's right! More accomplishments equal more money; and the easier it will be to give more funds to the club,"

"Would it be enough if we placed in a summer tournament?" I said.

"If you pull that off, they might approve your request at the budget meeting. But you need at least five swimmers. You won't qualify for anything with just four."

"There has to be at least one person who'll join," I crossed my arms, frowning. This was frustrating, but moping about it wouldn't help. I sighed, resigning myself to the task ahead. But Haru beat me to it.

"Let's get to work," he said, bolting out of the room.

"Haru's really doing his best, isn't he?" Nagisa said as Haru disappeared into the hall. We watched as he tried to convince two guys to join the team. He failed horribly.

"Ouch," Nagisa winced. The display was almost too much to bear. At least he tried, I guess.

"We're doomed. It's a lost cause if that's the best he can do," Makoto sighed, shaking his head.

"Hang in there Haru!" Nagisa yelled.

"Any other ideas?" I asked.

"We can hang up these posters!" the blond boy motioned for us to join him in the clubroom. The poster was certainly  _ eye-catching _ , so someone might see it and be interested in joining (or at least concerned enough to check on us). I'm just glad he didn't use any glitter.

Nagisa went to hang up posters by himself while the four of us paired off. Kou followed me to help hang some posters by the gym.

"When's your pool gonna be fixed?" she said.

"Not sure. My mom said it could take a few more weeks. They found another problem with the heating system."

"Is your mom happy about the swim club?"

"Yeah. She told me I should have everyone over once the pool is repaired." I smiled; it would be fun to swim like we did as kids.

"Gou, Riku!" Nagisa waved from the end of the hallway, beckoning us forward. "Follow me!" he spoke with urgency.  _ What's going on?  _ Kou and I both looked at each other before we trailed after him, picking up Haru and Makoto on the way. No matter how many times we asked, all he said was it's a surprise, and he would tell us when we got there.

"We're almost there!" Nagisa cried, dragging Haru along with him.

"What is it?" he replied coldly.

"I finally found the perfect candidate to join our club!" Nagisa grinned, and his eyes were practically gleaming.

"On the track team?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"This is ridiculous," Makoto mumbled under his breath.

"Look! There he is!" Nagisa pointed at the guy getting ready to pole vault. "This is fate! It's written in the stars!"

"Was he on a swim team in the past?" Haru asked.

"Or set some kind of record?" Kou added hopefully.

"Nope," he said, popping the p obnoxiously loud, "Because of his name."

I knew we were all gaping at him; that was a ridiculous reason to join the swim team.

"His name?" Makoto asked, just as confused as the rest of us.

"Yep! That's Rei Ryuugazaki. He's got a girly name just like the rest of us; well, except for Gou and Riku."

Kou and I both glared at him in tandem, but Kou was quickly distracted by Ryuugazaki's deltoids. I shook my head. Typical. But she wasn't wrong—he did have nice muscles. Maybe he would be a good addition to the team. I watched him intently as he prepared to jump. His form was incredible; he would make a great diver.

"Try talking to him," I nudged Nagisa with my shoulder. Then I felt my phone buzz only a moment later. It was my mom. My siblings were coming home for dinner tonight. I already knew I'd be helping her cook, but knowing Koji, he would say something unnecessary. Cooking was never my strong suit, but I was getting better. The only thing I wanted was a nice dinner, but considering who I was dining with, it wasn't very likely.


	7. Chapter 6

Kou had asked me if I wanted to run an errand with her, but I had to decline since Kaori and Koji were coming home for dinner. Not that I was particularly excited. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Koji and I don't get along. My mother was usually the referee between us. She tried her best to remain neutral, but most of the time she ended up taking my side. Koji didn't visit as much since he left for college, which has taken a weight off my shoulders. Kaori comes home a few times a month. I look forward to seeing her every time.

"I'm home," I called as I took off my shoes.

Mom called to me from the kitchen, "Go get changed so you can help me cook." She probably had dinner started already.

I hurried upstairs to change, not wanting to waste any more time. I was back in the kitchen within a minute.

Mom looked up at me as I entered the room, "How was your day?"

I shrugged, "Alright. I put up some posters around the school. Hopefully we'll get another member."

"So the boys can swim the relay, right?"

"Yeah."

She handed me a bowl of dough, "Your father told me you helped him with that design. He sent it in and is waiting to hear back."

I figured my father told her because he was proud of me. He didn't know I wasn't interested in coaster design; mom had kept it from him. I'm lucky to have someone who's there for me and will be happy with whatever I choose.

"Yeah," murmured, looking down at the dough I was kneading.

"He just wants what's best for you. You should tell him how you feel." She put a hand on my arm and gave me a reassuring smile, "I'll be right there with you when you do."

"I still don't know what I want to do. When I figure it out, I'll tell him."

She smiled again, grabbing me into a side hug with the hand that  _ wasn't _ holding a knife. Sometimes I think of the  _ what ifs _ , but I try not to dwell on them too much. It won't change the past, and things could be much worse.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when a bang echoed through the house.

"I'm home!" Koji called from the front door. My heart dropped just from the sound of his voice. I thought Kaori would be the first to arrive since Koji was known for his tardiness.

"Hello Koji," mom greeted as he entered the kitchen.

"Hey, ma," he gave a mock salute, then glanced at me over his shoulder. "Is ma giving you tips on how not to ruin a meal?" he sniggered, running a hand through his hair.

"I've been cooking almost every day—not that  _ you _ would know," I pounded the dough probably a little harder than necessary. Koji let out a disgusted sigh before he left the kitchen to go find our father. I let out the breath I was holding when he disappeared from sight.

.oOo.

Dinner was on the table when Kaori arrived. Koji grumbled something about finally getting to the main event, and I felt my stomach clench. It would just get worse from here.

"How's college, Kaori?" mom asked.

"It's incredible! I actually met this really cute guy, and now we're dating. You guys have to meet him!" she beamed.

"He'd better not keep you from your studies," my father added, picking up his chopsticks.

"He actually helps me study! It's a big help."

"That's great, Kaori. We'll have to have him over for dinner one night, right darling?" mom eyed my father pointedly. After a moment's pause, he nodded and turned back to Kaori.

"I'll let him know," Kaori said, and then she nudged me with her elbow. How's everything in your life going, Riku?"

"Pretty well. I helped start a swim club at Iwatobi, so now I get to compete again, I smiled.

Koji smirked, "It'll be just like the good old days. But hopefully you won't fall in love with one of the swimmers only for him to move away and never speak to you again." I watched as he scratched the back of his head in mock guilt, "Sorry to bring up something so painful, but I just don't want my little sister to get hurt again."

I didn't offer a response; instead looking down at my food as my father began to talk about changes in the new coaster design—the one I helped create last night. He couldn't stop talking about how proud he was of me. Father rarely said those words these days—he probably saw it as a way to encourage me to follow in his footsteps.

.oOo.

Koji's words played through my mind like a broken record. I tossed and turned all night, unable to quiet my thoughts. It brought back all the emotions I fought to keep hidden. Koji always knew how to hurt me. It's like he enjoyed pushing my buttons. I knew that in the morning I would be even more tired than usual. I was never a morning person, and not getting enough sleep made me feel more sluggish than normal. But nevertheless, I dragged myself out of bed and got ready for school.

.oOo.

"Sorry to make you guys wait. I didn't sleep well," I yawned, waving weakly to Makoto and Haru.

"Is everything okay?" Makoto asked, eyeing the obvious dark circles under my eyes.

"Yeah," I shrugged. "My brother and sister came home for dinner last night, so I got a late start to my homework. I tried to excuse myself from the table after I finished, but you know how my dad is," I lied.

Then I tried changing the subject, "So, do you think Nagisa convinced Ryuugazaki to join?"

"I'm not sure," Makoto said, "But I hope we do get another member so we can enter the relay." I hoped so too, but I had a feeling Haru would be the deciding factor, and I didn't think we had much of a chance at convincing him.

For the first half of the day, I doodled more than paid attention. Koji's words were still bothering me. Our father never realized Koji's jabs were more than just light teasing. He always thought his "concern" for me was genuine. At least Kaori and I finally started getting along when she got to high school. The bell rang—it was finally time for lunch. When I looked up from my desk, everything was hazy.

Nagisa brought my attention back into the real world when he burst into the room to tell us how it went with Ryuugazaki. I pushed myself out of my seat to look over Nagisa's shoulder—it looked like Haru was going to draw another poster for the club.

"It didn't work. I think he hates the water," Nagisa hung his head.

"Then we don't need him in our club. Don't let him in the pool," Haru didn't even look up from his paper.

"Keep your voice down. You can't let anyone hear you talk like that," Nagisa shushed him. "That kind of attitude is a real turn-off for people who might want to join." He began immediately listing off other options. Haru's face became more and more horrified with every word. As soon as Nagisa mentioned the idea of lifting weights and jogging in the winter, Haru turned away.

"Then we might just have to go with our contingency plan, the one featuring Ama-chan, " Nagisa stroked his chin, lips splitting into a devilish grin.

"That's never going to happen. You heard what she said," Makoto reminded him.

"Then let's reverse it!" Nagisa cried, lighting up at the thought he'd just had. I sighed—this could only go badly.

"Reverse it?" Makoto asked as Nagisa slammed his hands on Haru's desk.

"Yeah! What if when someone joins, they get to strip down for her!"

"That's a ridiculous idea. Nobody's gonna wanna do that." I rolled my eyes as Haru went to write that down.

"Stop, don't write that crap down!" Makoto grabbed Haru's hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Amakata-sensei approaching us.

"You know I can hear you, right?" she smiled, but her eyes were murky. I shivered; she was intimidating even with that smile.

"We're sorry!" we cried in unison. I apologized too, even though I had nothing to do with it. Amakata-sensei returned to her desk, leaving the four of us in silence. Then Nagisa sent a glance my way.

"Not happening."

.oOo.

Finally, the school day ended. I let out a sigh of relief—I just wanted to lock myself in my room and be alone with my thoughts. I couldn't believe Rin was affecting me so much since he came back. It was years since I've been hurt this badly. I felt my head drop as I began walking out of the school.

"Hey Riku!" Kou called, running up to me.

I stopped, "Hey Kou, what's up?"

"Do you wanna run an errand with me?"

"Didn't you just run an errand yesterday?"

"Uh...yeah," Kou scratched her head. "Well my mom texted me asking if I could pick up some food. I figured you could come help me and we could spend some time together," she smiled.

It would be nice to spend some time with Kou outside of the club. I would have considered helping her bring groceries home, but I wasn't ready to see Ms. Matsuoka yet.

"Sure, lead the way."

I sent a quick text to my mom. I just said I was going out with a friend. I didn't want to tell her it was Kou, or that she went to Iwatobi and was also the manager of the swim club. She would have so many questions.

Kou's eyes lit up, grabbing my sleeve and tugging me along. She said something about taking the train, but I didn't think much of it; at least, until we got off the train. We made small talk as we walked. Things looked slightly familiar, but I couldn't place the feeling. But when I got a glimpse of Samezuka Academy, I stopped in my tracks.

"Kou."

This was the last place that I wanted to be. Kou tricked me.

"I knew you wouldn't come if I told you where we were going," she gave me an apologetic grin. "Since we don't have access to an indoor pool, I thought we could talk to Rin about holding a joint practice."

"I have no interest in seeing or talking to him," I said.

"Not even if it means having a chance to swim in an indoor pool?"

This was the last place I wanted to be. It was nice that she was going to ask for a joint practice indoor before the season started, but she didn't have to drag me along with her. With what happened last night, being here felt like way too much right now. Kou was looking at me, expecting an answer. I let out a groan; it was too late for me to turn back.

"I'll come with you, but I'm not talking to him," I sighed. Kou beamed as she led me to Rin's dorm. I followed her, albeit reluctantly.

I got more nervous with every passing step. I pulled out my phone to text Yukari. I needed someone else to talk to. She could get me through this.

**Me: I'm at Rin's school with Kou. (–_–)**

**_Yukari: Why?! Are you going to confront him?_ **

**Me: No, Kou wants to ask him if we can schedule a joint practice.**

Kou turned to me. We were there. She didn't knock on his door until I was leaning against the wall next to it. I hoped Rin would stand in his room instead of the doorway. He didn't need to know I was here.

**_Yukari: So why did you go with her then?!_ **

"Hey big bro! You didn't answer your phone, so I thought coming here would be the next best option," Kou spoke airily, trying to make this seem like a spur of the moment visit. My eyes were glued to my phone—I wanted to look uninterested as possible in case he did end up seeing me.

**Me: Kou tricked me into coming.**

"What is it Gou?" Rin asked, annoyed. Just then, my phone buzzed. I cringed— _ that _ would get his attention.

"Riku?" surprisingly, his voice wasn't hostile, but he didn't give Kou a chance to answer. I looked over to see Rin just outside the open door in a tank top and sweatpants. I groaned internally. Why did he have to be so hot?!

"Hi," I said curtly, looking down at Yukari's message. 

**_Yukari: Are you gonna talk to him?_ **

"Why are you here?" he asked me. I glanced at Kou before replying.

"Kou wanted someone to keep her company, and I was the only one available," I went back to my phone.

**Me: I wasn't going to, but when you texted me...I had no choice but to say something. T_T**

"I did this for Kou, not you," my voice was icy. I wasn't sure if Rin was shocked or annoyed at my words.

"Anyway, I wanted to ask if you could talk to the swim captain about holding a joint practice," Kou changed the subject. She probably didn't want me to start a fight. It could also hurt our chances of having a joint practice—even though I had a feeling Rin would say no.

"Really, Gou?" he let out an exasperated sigh, running a hand through his hair. "No, I have some things to do before practice."

He shut the door.

I pushed myself off the wall and linked arms with Kou, who looked like she had a plan, "Where are we going next?" I asked.

"The pool," she hummed.

I had a feeling Kou was going to talk to the swim captain herself. When we entered the pool, the captain's eyes lit up. It wasn't hard to see that Captain Mikoshiba had a crush on Kou. He brought us into the hall so we could talk privately.

I was quiet as Kou explained what she had in mind. At first, I thought Mikoshiba was going to say no, his expression stern. But then he grabbed Kou's hands with a grin, agreeing that it would be a great idea.

Then Mikoshiba turned to me, "Are you a manager too?"

"No, I'm on the swim team," I rolled my eyes. Everyone seemed to assume that.

"Awesome! We don't have a girls locker room since we're an all-boys school, so you'll have to change in one of the school bathrooms," Mikoshiba held out his fist for me to bump.

"That's fine. I'm just happy I get to swim competitively again," I returned the gesture. Mikoshiba's attention was captured by the members filing onto the pool deck. I grabbed the fabric of Kou's jacket and tugged. She turned to me with a question on her lips, but I gave her a silent "we should leave" look because I didn't want to run into Rin; especially since Kou went over his head. Kou turned back to Mikoshiba to confirm the date for the joint practice, which was in two days' time. Great. Not that we were having any luck with getting a new member, but now we had a time limit.

Hopefully we could find someone by then.


	8. Chapter 7

The plan for today was to tell the rest of the team about the joint practice. I'd let Kou handle it—she did most of the talking anyway.

When I got to the pool, Kou was standing at the gate, "I've got some amazing news! Are you ready?" she leaned forward, eyes filled with excitement, "Riku and I were able to schedule a joint practice with Samezuka!"

"It was all Kou's doing. I just went for moral support," I shrugged, tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

"For real?" Nagisa beamed.

"How'd you convince Rin?" Makoto asked, turning to Kou.

"It's no surprise Rin didn't want to listen to his little sister, so I went directly to the captain."

"You're the best Gou!" Nagisa cried.

"It's Kou," she grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Now we've got the green light to swim in Samezuka's indoor pool. We don't have to wait until summer anymore," Makoto said.

I sighed; this wouldn't be easy. "There is a catch—since it's an official practice, we do need five members. Otherwise we can't swim."

"Which means we have to find another member before practice tomorrow. We gotta make this happen. Kou did some serious flirting for this opportunity," Nagisa clenched his fist in what I assumed was a motivational gesture. I shook my head; this wouldn't go over well.

"I wasn't flirting!" she said.

"What? You weren't?" Nagisa teased, smirking.

"She really wasn't," I said.

"Does that mean  _ you _ flirted for us?" Nagisa stroked his chin in mock thought.

"No! Stop making things up!"

Makoto interjected, always one to keep the peace, "Why don't we start practice now. We can prepare for tomorrow."

I headed to the locker room without a word, avoiding any further conflict with Nagisa. He's one of my closest friends, but he always knew how to push my buttons. We made idle chatter, and I ended up mentioning the free theme park tickets my father had given me the other night.

When practice was over, I walked home with Haru and Makoto. We stopped at Makoto's house first. Haru decided to follow us up the steps as the twins came bursting through the door.

"Riku!" they cried, not bothering to greet their brother—or Haru, for that matter. They ran up to hug me, almost knocking me over.

"You guys have to be more careful," Makoto chided.

"Hey guys!" I giggled, squeezing them gently.

"Is your pool still broken? I wanna have a race!" Ran asked as I released them.

"Me too!" Ren added.

"Sorry you two," I said, "Still broken. But I hope it won't be too long—I bet my mom would love having you over once it's fixed. You can help out when we practice."

Ren grinned, "That would be awesome!"

"Will she make us snacks?" Ran asked.

"Of course!" I smiled, ruffling her hair. Then I straightened up, "I have to get going, but I'll stop by again soon!"

"Can't you stay for dinner?" Ran whined.

"Next time. Promise," I reassured them. Looking up, I turned to Haru and Makoto, waving, "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Setting off towards home, I wondered how we could find another member before tomorrow afternoon. Well, we'd figure out something.

.oOo.

Nagisa was panting; bent over; hands gripping his knees. Haru, Makoto and I stood watching as he tried to catch his breath.

"Did you miss the train?" I asked.

Nagisa didn't answer. "Hey Mako-chan, Riku-chan, Haru-chan," he wheezed. He looked over our shoulders. I turned. There was a blue-haired boy approaching us. It was Ryuugazaki.

"Oh, hey Rei-chan!" Nagisa waved, smiling.

"Should I assume that you are his little buddy, Haru-chan?" Ryuugazaki addressed Haruka.

"No, you shouldn't. I'm no one's  _ little buddy _ ," Haru gave him a cold glare.

"Is everything alright?" Nagisa asked, oblivious to the tension he's created.

Rei sighed, adjusting his glasses, "I'm willing to participate in your joint practice as a trial member. If you're still interested, that is."

I blinked. I was surprised that he was willing to participate even though he was on the track team.

"Wait, really?" Nagisa looked shocked but delighted.

"But only on one condition," Ryuugazaki pushed up his glasses again. "I won't do any swimming."

My brows furrowed. That was strange. Why would he agree to be a trial member if he didn't want to swim? Makoto looked confused as well, but I figured I could ask him about it later.

It's great that we'd be able to participate in a joint practice. I refused to think of what could go wrong right now; I just tried to stay positive.

.oOo.

When Haru, Makoto and I got to class, I turned to the olive-haired boy, "Do you think it's weird that Ryuugazaki doesn't wanna swim?"

"Kind of," Makoto said. "But maybe he just wants to see what really goes on at a joint practice."

"Or it's because the water doesn't like him," Haru added.

"I doubt that's the reason," Makoto sighed.

"Well, hopefully he'll join. I'm so excited to swim again! Maybe we can sign up for a summer tournament if he does," I grinned.

.oOo.

Mom sent me a text wishing me good luck at practice today. Yukari texted me as well, but she planned on being my moral support when I could answer the phone. I glanced at the hulking brick buildings surrounding us as we entered Samezuka Academy. This was the third time I'd been here in the past month, and that was way more than necessary. But at least I could focus on practice now.

The moment I stepped into the pool, I felt all eyes on me—the boys didn't look too happy. Captain Mikoshiba probably told everyone I'd be participating along with Haru, Makoto, and Nagisa.

I stood there, wait for instructions as a grey-haired boy came over to me. "I'll show you where you can change," he said, ushering me after him.

It was quiet as we walked, so I decided to break the silence, "I'm Riku Matsumura. You?"

"Aiichiro Nitori."

He then pointed to the door we had reached, "You can go in here."

"Thanks," I slung my towel over my shoulder and went inside, bowing to the boy—Nitori—who smiled nervously, and trotted back to the deck.

When I returned to the pool, Haru and Makoto were stretching, already in their jammers.

"It's been a while, huh?" Makoto said.

"Yeah," said Haru.

"I can't wait," I said, smiling as I bent down to touch my toes. I stretched for only a few minutes before Captain Mikoshiba made his way over to us.

"Hey thanks for coming out guys!" he grinned, waving at us. We bowed, thanking him for the practice. I stopped listening as soon as he began talking to (more so  _ at _ ) Haru about something water-related; my eyes immediately found the other red-haired Matsuoka as he sauntered into the room, snapping his goggles on his swim cap with a loud  _ crack _ . Kou looked up at the familiar sound, and she skipped over to him, Nagisa not far behind.

"Gou, what were you thinking?! Bringing  _ these _ guys here?" Rin said, glaring at her.

"Hey Rin! After all this time, we finally get to swim together again!" Nagisa beamed, either not noticing or not caring about the tension in the air.

"Swim together?" he looked disgusted. "This is a complete waste of time," he growled, turning around and waltzing right back out the door.

"Asshole," I muttered.

"What's up with him?" Rei whispered to Nagisa. Nagisa gave him a sheepish smile, shrugging instead of giving him a solid answer.

After Rin left, Mikoshiba told us we were going to be swimming against the first years. We'd start with individual time trials. Rei ended up being pushed into the locker room and forced into a speedo after Nagisa lied about him forgetting his swimsuit.

Makoto was going first, followed by me, Nagisa, and Haru. The guy I was swimming against didn't look very happy about it.

"You don't belong here," he snarled.

"Scared to lose to a girl?" I raised an eyebrow at him, pulling on my swim cap as I stepped onto the starting block. The match was over in a minute. Even though I was a little rusty, I still finished first. My smile was smug as I passed him, going to sit with the others. Nagisa was up next and when he was finished, it was Ryuugazaki's turn. He had no choice but to participate at this point. I watched intently as he readied himself. He really did have great form. But that only lasted until he dove. The start was gorgeous, but he flattened out in midair, hitting the water face-first. When he didn't resurface, Haru jumped it to pull him out.

He sat slumped against the wall, embarrassed. I guess that's why he didn't insisted on staying out of the pool. It's not because he was being petty, but because, well…he couldn't swim.

Though when Haru dove into the water, Ryuugazaki's face lit up in shock and awe. Haru definitely had a certain effect on people when he was in the water. I smiled. Maybe Haru could help.

Makoto nudged me with his shoulder, "Ren and Ran couldn't stop saying how excited they were to come over again."

I looked up at him, "I'm glad! How 'bout you guys stop by after practice? If I tell my mom, I'm sure she'll send you guys home with some snacks."

"Ren and Ran would love that," he smiled. I returned the gesture, grabbing my phone to send a quick text to my mom.

"That's another reason to join!" Nagisa said, turning to Ryuugazaki, "If you do, that means you can come over to Riku-chan's place for practice. Her mom makes the best snacks!"

"That's hardly a reason to join," I rolled my eyes as I stood up.

Practice had gone by really fast, and it was already time to leave. I smirked at the defeated looks on some of the first years' faces. It was immensely satisfying to prove that I could keep up with the guys. Nagisa slung an arm over my shoulder, pulling me towards the exit. Captain Mikoshiba waved at us, and I noticed Rin's glare from the corner of my eye.

"Let's go," I spoke through gritted teeth. If we were here a second longer, I didn't know if I could keep my cool, and I really didn't want to cause a scene.

Kou and Ryuugazaki both went home, and Makoto, Nagisa, Haru, and I went to my house. Nagisa couldn't contain his excitement, and it made me laugh a little. He was always so hyper when it came to food.

When we were walking up the walkway my step-mom opened the door with a bright smile, "It's so nice to see you all together again!"

"Hi Mrs. Matsumura," they said, letting themselves in.

"Ahh, it's just like old times!" Nagisa grinned as he took off his shoes.

"The heating system should be fixed by the weekend; so you guys can practice here when the weather is bad," she said.

"When did you find out?" I asked, surprised. I hadn't heard anything about this yet.

"I got a call just before you arrived." She pulled out a few bags of snacks for us. I took them, barely able to carry them all at once.

"That's so exciting! Haru-chan, you'll be able to swim whenever you want!" Nagisa clung to Haru. Said boy turned his head away, trying to seem indifferent, but I knew he was excited as well.

"I don't think Mrs. Matsumura would appreciate that," Makoto let out a small laugh.

"You boys are more than welcome to come over whenever you like. Just have Riku let me know ahead of time," she smiled, patting Makoto on the shoulder.

Nagisa's eyes brightened at her words. I'm glad she's always so kind, and loves that I have friends who are there for me.

"My mom's expecting me and Haru for dinner, so we should get going," Makoto said, nodding to the raven-haired boy. Nagisa whined but followed them, nonetheless. I showed them out before joining my mom back in the kitchen.

"How was the joint practice?"

"It went really well! I taught the first years not to mess with a girl," I smiled, pouring myself a glass of water.

"Doesn't Samezuka Academy have an all-boys swim team?"

"Yeah."

"So why did you guys set up a joint practice with them after you got in trouble for trespassing?" she asked.

My heart began to race as I stared into the fridge, trying to come up with some sort of answer.

"It was Kou's idea to set up the joint practice," I admitted, turning around.

"Kou? As in Kou Matsuoka?" I watched the confusion pool in her eyes.

"Yes…" I peered into the cup, "She's our manager, and she thought it would be a good idea to have a joint practice since Rin's on the Samezuka swim team."

"Rin's back from Australia? You should've told me sooner! We can invite them to dinner!" she beamed, but the smile dropped when she saw the look on my face. But it didn't take her long to piece it together.

"I hate him, mom. He's not the person he used to be."

"Okay, we won't have dinner then," she pulled me into a hug, "I wish you told me sooner, but I understand why you didn't. I'm sure there's a reason why he is the way he is, but don't worry about it. Focus on hanging out with your friends and running the swim club. I love you—you know that." She gave me one final squeeze before she went back to cooking.

"Can Yukari come over to swim this weekend?" I asked.

"Of course!" she grinned—probably glad something got my mind off Rin.

Then I headed up to my room to text Yukari with plan for the weekend. We had a lot to talk about.


	9. Chapter 8

Yukari was thrilled to come over and swim. I couldn't wait to get her caught up on everything that had happened. When I told her Ryuugazaki agreed to join the swim club, her face lit up in excitement—that meant we could compete.

"I can't wait to see you guys swim! It's gonna be so much fun!" she squealed, getting into the water.

"I guess," I sighed, "But I'm kind of nervous."

"About seeing Rin?" she asked.

"A bit, but more about competing again. It's been such a long time since I've raced," I said before I dove into the water.

"Don't worry! You'll be kicking ass in no time!" Yukari grinned, pumping her fist in the air. I felt a smile tugging on the corners of my lips; she was a great cheerleader already.

Our conversation was cut short, however, as my stepmom came in with some snacks—Haru, Makoto and Nagisa trailing behind her.

"What are you guys doing here?" I frowned.

Makoto cocked his head in confusion, glancing over at the blond boy next to him, "Nagisa said you invited us over."

Nagisa looked sheepish as he scratched the back of his neck, "Whoops. Well, we came all this way. No point in leaving now."

"It'll be fun!" Yukari clapped her hands together. She knew I was a little disappointed that we wouldn't be alone, but she tried to make the best of it. I haven't been able to spend as much time with her lately, so I was looking forward to it.

"Now I can actually get to know you all! Well, Riku's told me all about you guys, but I never got the chance to really meet you," she gave them a lopsided grin.

"Are you guys gonna stand here all day or actually swim?" I asked, pulling on my swim cap. Haru, who surprisingly wasn't already in the pool, ripped off his clothes and dove in. I shook my head; why he lives in his swimsuit is beyond me.

The others followed suit, diving in one after another.

In the end, it was a pretty fun afternoon. Yukari wanted to get a sneak peek of the boys' swimming styles, so she suggested a mini race. Haru, of course, didn't participate. He was off doing laps in his own lane. I had to stifle a giggle. Yukari was enamored—she couldn't take her eyes off him.

"I wish I joined a swim club when I was growing up," she pouted, "Then I could've swam in college."

"What are you going to school for?" Makoto asked.

"Fashion design. I love putting outfits together, especially for Riku," she nudged me with her shoulder.

Nagisa's eyes lit up at the mention of clothes, "You could help design our team uniforms!"

"That would be awesome! I could be your cheerleader and personal fashion designer."

Yukari looked like she was bursting with pride. I wouldn't complain about getting to spend more time with her.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We need to sign up for a competition first," Makoto interjected, always the practical one.

"Yeah. We should probably focus on teaching Ryuugazaki how to swim first. Once we get that settled, we can worry about uniforms," I agreed. Nagisa looked a little disappointed, but quickly bounced back and started to discuss color schemes that would go with Iwatobi's mascot.

.oOo.

Today was our first real practice as an official swim team! The fact that we could swim in the pool made it even better. Haru dove in before Kou could get a single word in. I stifled a laugh as I peered over Makoto and Ryuugazaki's shoulders at the training regimen Kou held in her hands.

"Front crawl is usually the default because it's the fastest," Makoto explained to a baffled Ryuugazaki.

"In comparison, the butterfly is hardly ever used. At least in freestyle," Nagisa said.

"One of the reasons I love it so much," I added, putting my hair up.

"This is a pretty solid training regimen. Did you make it yourself, Gou?" Nagisa asked.

"Would you stop calling me that already?" she let out a defeated sigh, " You know what, forget it. I found a list just like it when I was cleaning. I think it was my brother's old workout." I blanched at the mention of the older Matsuoka, diving into the water to avoid any further mention of him. Nagisa and Makoto stretched before getting into the water for warm ups. I noticed that Haru had gotten out of the water to look over the training regime, which brought my attention to Ryuugazaki—who was still stretching.

"Why are you still stretching, Rei?" Nagisa asked, wet feet padding across the pool deck.

"I just want to be as safe as possible," he said.

"You'll be fine. It's okay if you wanna take things slow," Makoto reassured him.

"Don't worry about me," he smiled, putting his hands on his hips. "It took all weekend, but I'm confident that I've mastered the theory. It's just a matter of putting it into practice," he climbed onto the starting block.

I never considered there being a theory to swimming. I always thought you just learned and worked hard to become a great swimmer.

It was at that moment Rei decided to dive into the pool. His form was beautiful, but he belly-flopped at the last second—just like before.

"Theory is great and all, but I think it might help if you learn how to swim first," Nagisa said as he resurfaced.

Makoto and Nagisa took it upon themselves to teach Ryuugazaki. I was more focused on my swimming—I knew they could handle it. If they needed my help, I would be more than happy to assist them. Maybe I could use this time to practice a different stroke.

.oOo.

During homeroom the next day, Nagisa waltzed in, dragging Ryuugazaki behind him. In his other hand he held some sort of magazine.

"Voilà!" Nagisa slapped the magazine down on Makoto's desk. When I took a closer look, I saw that it had uniforms on the cover.

"Yukari gave me the idea last night," Nagisa grinned, "To look for design ideas in this sports magazine!" I slapped a hand to my forehead. When did they exchange numbers?

"Well I like it, and it would definitely make us look more legitimate," Makoto stroked his chin in thought.

"Right? Yukari said style, design, and colors are important. This one would look great!" Nagisa pointed at a blue and white jacket. "The best part is that we can add our own designs as long as we include the school emblem."

My heart dropped. It seemed Ryuugazaki had the same sinking feeling.

"Not the Iwatobi mascot," he cringed.

"Yeah, that was the plan," Nagisa said.

"I was afraid you'd say that," Ryuugazaki sighed, putting a hand over his eyes.

Thank god I wasn't the only person on this team who hated the mascot.

"That would be awesome; like the shark and katana Samezuka has," Makoto said.

"I'd be down for that! I vote for a rockhopper penguin sporting a flame-flower and a top hat! What do you think, Haru-chan? Riku-chan?" Nagisa asked.

"That idea does not say Iwatobi Swim Club to me. We can come up with a better one," I said.

"A rockhopper penguin would be the perfect mascot for the swim team!" Nagisa argued as Haru began drawing. Before I could respond, Haru held up a drawing of little Iwatobi.

"It's beautiful," Ryuugazaki commented. Well, there went the one person who I could trust to agree with me.

"I can't wait to show Gou-chan!" Nagisa beamed just as the bell rang—it was almost time for class.

.oOo.

Kou told us we shouldn't worry about uniforms just yet; training was more important. Ryuugazaki only had one week to learn how to swim; and knowing Kou, she was completely serious about it. Nagisa and Makoto tried to teach him their respective specialties, but he sank every time.

.oOo.

Today we were holding a meeting at Haru's place. Now there were only five days left.

"The first "Find out why Rei-chan sucks at swimming" meeting is called to order. Any ideas?" Nagisa asked.

"The water doesn't like him," Haru said.

"It's very unfortunate," Nagisa nodded solemnly.

"That can't be the real reason," I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe he's just not athletic," Kou added, leaning in.

"But he runs like the wind; plus, he's a gold medal test taker," Nagisa said.

"So you've got a lot of brain power," Makoto said

"Do you like mackerel?" Haru asked.

"Low DHA?"

"Maybe his big brain is weighing him down."

"Maybe all of that studying has made him top heavy."

"It has nothing to do with that! It's obvious the problem was with my  _ instructors _ . If I had a proper coach, I'd be lapping all of you by now!" Ryuugazaki cried, slamming his hands on the table.

"Coach? We have one of those," Makoto said.

I frowned. Coach? Since when did we have a coach?

"What?" I said.

"Coach Sasabe! I ran into him the other day. We can order a pizza and ask if he can coach us!" Makoto grabbed his phone to dial the pizza place.

As we waited for the pizza to arrive, Nagisa rattled off more reasons for Rei's inability to swim. My phone buzzed and I looked down. It was Yukari again.

**_Yukari: So, what color scheme did you guys go with?_ **

**Me: Kou said we need to worry about teaching Ryuugazaki to swim before we think about uniforms. We're actually meeting right now. Also, when did you and Nagisa exchange numbers?!**

**_Yukari: Well, when you do, I have some ideas for a color scheme. At least you have some time before your first meet. And it was after we left your house the other day—he thought it'd be a good idea for someone else on the swim team to have my number so I can give my input if you're not around._ **

**Me: Oh, that makes sense. Anyway, we only have five days left, but hopefully our old swim coach will be able to help**

**_Yukari: Good luck! :)_ **

That's when the doorbell rang. Coach Sasabe was here. My stomach started to rumble just at the thought of pizza. I grabbed a slice as soon as the box was set down. Coach Sasabe took his seat.

"Look I'm thrilled, but a sinking ship is a sinking ship. I'm not a miracle worker," he deadpanned.

"I'm far from a sinking ship; a more accurate analogy would be a submarine," Ryuugazaki pushed up his glasses.

"See, he's got five days left to learn. You're our last hope," Nagisa said between bites of pizza.

"Talk or chew, not both at once," he grimaced. "My schedule is packed as it is. So you'll have to fix this problem on your own. See ya!" Coach Sasabe waved as he walked out the door.

"Well we tried," I shrugged as Nagisa went for a third slice of pizza.

"I'm sure we'll find a solution before the end of the week," I was trying to be optimistic, but honestly, I had no idea how we could make this work.

"That's the spirit, Riku-chan!" Nagisa smiled through a mouthful of pizza.

"You're always positive," Makoto smiled.

I laughed, "Well, I try."

I was beginning to pack up my things when Rei came up to me. 

“Since we’re going to be teammates, you can address me as Rei,” he said.

I tilted my head, smiling at him. “And you can call me Riku.” 

Then I turned to address the rest of the group. "I should get going; my mom’s expecting me." 

They waved as I headed out the door.

Now all we had to do was pray that Haru was wrong, and that the water didn’t truly hate Rei.

  
  



	10. Chapter 9

Rei thought that the whole reason he couldn't swim was because of the speedo he borrowed from Nagisa. But that was just wishful thinking. Either way, we were still going to the mall to buy him a new swimsuit. The plan was to meet at my house and head to the station together. I decided to wear the outfit that Yukari gave me the other day. It's now one of my favorites. Haru and Makoto were the first to arrive—being the closest to me—so my mom had come out to talk to them and offer food.

"Hi Mrs. Matsumura!" Kou called as she came up the walkway.

"It's so nice to see you again, Kou!" mom pulled her in for a hug. "When Riku told me you were the club manager, I was so excited! Tell your mom I say hello."

"I will," she smiled. A few moments later, Nagisa practically skipped up to the door, Rei in tow.

"Hey Mrs. Matsumura!" Nagisa said. My mom smiled, holding out a bag of sweets for him. I shook my head. She really was ridiculously nice. Nagisa's eyes lit up and he immediately ripped the bag open.

She turned to Rei, "You must be Ryuugazaki. Riku's told me a little about you. You're welcome to come over anytime."

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Matsumura," he bowed, glasses nearly falling off his face.

"Everyone's here," I said, "we should probably get going."

I sent a smile to my mom as she waved us off.

.oOo.

On the way over to the train station, Nagisa told us that Amakata-Sensei couldn't come and proceeded to spout off far-fetched excuses for the next five minutes. I tried to tune him out. I should probably get a new swimsuit while we're here. It's been a while since I bought a new one. On the train ride over Nagisa was now talking about what style and color Rei should get for a swimsuit. When the train had reached the station Nagisa was the first to be out the door and walking to the sports equipment store.

From the moment we entered the sports equipment store, Haru was drawn to a collection of purple jammers. He stood staring at them with intent until he finally picked a few off the rack. Makoto and I watched him from the side.

"I'm trying them on," he said before heading to the changing room. I spared a glance at Makoto—I could tell we were thinking the same thing.

Rei followed Haru to the changing rooms.

Makoto and Nagisa neared the changing rooms while I sat down on the bench with Kou. I could tell she was excited. She was almost quivering at the thought of seeing muscles. As soon as Rei revealed his suit, I was stunned. Why would anyone want rainbow jammers? I peered up at him as he began to explain his reasoning.

"Given the fact that each color has an impact on one's state of mind, I'm stacking the deck in my favor," he held his head high, letting out a maniacal laugh.

"You don't mind looking like a technicolor zebra?" Makoto asked. I had to stifle a giggle.

"I'm finished too," Haru announced as he opened the curtain. He gestured to his swimsuit, "How is it?"

"They're great," Makoto said.

"But how are they any different from your other pairs?" I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to tell me otherwise.

"They aren't any different," Nagisa agreed.

"They are too. They fit me better, just look," Haru looked pleased as he glanced down at the suit. I face palmed as Nagisa whisked Makoto off to get swimsuits of their own. Kou, of course, was already fangirling over the the boys' muscles. I watched as they changed into different swimsuits, but as soon as Rei tried on one that literally looked like a human-sized butterfly, I left to get my own. No point in staying for that circus.

There was a grey and white striped bikini that caught my eye on the way over to the one-piece bathing suits. I grabbed one in my size before I continued on my way. After going through all of the bathing suits, I narrowed it down to two. One was a black one-piece with a grey stripe going down the sides, and the other was black and white. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of maroon hair. I figured Kou had probably gotten bored of the boys continually trying on suits. I was glad she'd be able to help me decide.

"Hey, which one should I get?" I asked; but when I turned around, it wasn't Kou… it was Rin. I grimaced. He was the one person I didn't want to see.

"That one," he pointed to the one with the grey stripes.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I turned back to face the rack.

"Captain Mikoshiba wanted the team to come and pick out jammers."

"Then you should go find them. You don't want to be caught with someone who's not worth your time."

"You're not a waste of my time, Riku," Rin had grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to face him. My heart began to race at his sudden touch. I peered into his red eyes, searching for some sort of sign that would tell me what he was thinking. I didn't find anything.

"You have an odd way of showing it."

Our conversation was cut short, however, when Makoto called to me, "Riku!"

Our gazes broke as I turned toward the noise, but then I looked back up at him, "I have to go."

"Are you two…" Rin trailed off, completely serious.

"Really, Rin?" I narrowed my eyes. I couldn't believe him. "You of all people should know Makoto's like a brother to me."

"What about me?" he asked. I stared up at him, dumbfounded. Why did he want to know? Rin wasn't acting like the asshole he had been over the past few weeks. I took a deep breath in before I gave him my answer.

"A dick," I picked up the grey and white bikini with the other two one-pieces. "I'll see you around, Rin." I gave him a small smile before walking off.

"Hey Riku, where did you go?" Makoto asked as I came into view.

"I couldn't let you guys have all the fun," I rolled my eyes, holding up the swimsuits.

"So, you're getting  _ all _ of those?" Nagisa asked.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to put this one back," I held up the swimsuit that Rin didn't pick. I couldn't put my finger on the reason I took Rin's advice, but somehow I felt it was genuine.

"That'll look really good on you!" Nagisa agreed before he went back to picking out swimsuits for Rei.

"Thanks," I smiled, "Where's Haru?"

"He's trying on another swimsuit," Makoto said. I did my best not to look worried when I thought about Haru and Rin running into each other. When I looked up at Makoto, I knew he could tell, but before he could ask, Rei had spoken.

"Has your mom always been into cooking?"

"She's actually my step-mom," I said. He turned to me, ready to apologize, but I interjected first, "It's okay. Ever since she came into my life, she felt like my real mom. My step-mom won my dad over with her cooking and her kindness. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Check it out Rei! This one was meant for you," Nagisa held out a zebra striped speedo with a devilish grin on his face.

"Stop trying to get me to wear another speedo!" Rei yelled. Makoto and I laughed at their antics.

"How about we look over there?" I suggested as I pointed to the longer suits. Nagisa skipped off towards the racks, and the rest of us trailed behind. It would at least get us away from the speedos for now. Rei let out another unnerving laugh when he found the pair for him. It was black with blue stripes down the side. Rei had grabbed a swim cap and prescription goggles too, so all that was left was the check out. But we could find Kou after we paid, so we decided to head outside.

"There you are!" Nagisa said when he saw Kou leaning up against a wall outside.

"Is something wrong?" Makoto asked. Kou strutted over to us, plastering a smile on her face.

"What gave you that idea?" she waved her hands, and let out a nervous giggle. I raised my eyebrows. Did she know Rin was here?

"Have you seen Haru?" Nagisa asked.

"No," she replied quickly. Just as the words were spoken, Haru showed up behind her. I tried to read his expression, but it was stoic as always. Hopefully he hadn't run into Rin.

.oOo.

Rei only had two days left to learn to swim. He hopped on the starting block with confidence. Hopefully this was the solution we were looking for. Makoto, Nagisa, Kou, and I were sitting at the edge of the pool while Haru dried himself off with a towel.

"You know, from over here he looks like a world class swimmer," Makoto said.

"Guess we'll see if the clothes make the man," Nagisa added.

"This just might work!"

"His entry point is spot on," Makoto said as Rei took the dive. Unfortunately, he couldn't manage to stay afloat.

"Why!!!" Rei yelled, clenching his goggles in his fist. To all of our surprise, Haru dove into the water and offered to teach him freestyle.

"Did Haru just offer to teach Rei, or am I dreaming?" I said, mouth hanging open.

"With Haru on the job, Rei can't fail!" Nagisa cheered.

The four of us watched as Haru taught Rei how to swim free. Now was the moment that Rei would swim the stroke by himself. But yet again, he sunk to the bottom within seconds.

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration," Amakata-sensei spoke through Rei's screams of frustration.

"That's Edison right?" Makoto asked.

"Basically, hard work always trumps natural talent," Kou shrugged.

"Looks like we're in for some serious forty-eight-hour training," Nagisa sighed.

"Not exactly," Amakata-Sensei got our attention once more. "I interpret Edison's saying as all the hard work in the world means nothing without inspiration. So uninspired labor is pointless."

"That's not very inspirational!" Kou whined, hanging her head, and running a hand through her hair.

After that, I went to change back into my uniform (I planned on showering at home). Makoto and Nagisa were drying off, watching Haru and Rei who were sitting in the corner of the pool deck.

"I'm gonna go see what's taking so long," Nagisa started to walk over.

"Nagisa," Makoto got the attention of the first year, "Let them talk it out. They actually have a lot in common. I think they're beginning to realize that for themselves."

"I think you're right," Nagisa smiled to himself. As I watched, I realized that they truly were very similar.

I smiled to myself. They'd make a great team.

  
  



	11. Chapter 10

The next day, Rei asked me to come to practice a little early because he wanted my help. He wanted me to give him some pointers for the butterfly stroke. Rei hadn't tried that stroke yet, but I honestly didn’t think he’d be able to do it. After all, it was the hardest stroke.

I sat on the edge of the pool and watched in awe as Rei showed off his perfect butterfly stroke. The rest of the swim team came in a few minutes after Rei had shown me what he could do.

" When did _ you _ learn butterfly?!" Nagisa ran over, Makoto and Kou in tow.

" You know, it's the strangest thing, but it sort of just came to me. I asked Riku to give me some pointers, and once I tried it, I could swim,” Rei said with a grin.

" Do you know why?" Kou asked. Rei mumbled something and he shot a glance at Haru, who was staring at the butterfly resting on his finger.

" What was that Rei? You were mumbling."

" Nope. Your guess is as good as mine," the corners of Rei's eyes crinkled as he smiled.

" Seriously?"

" I'm just glad he won't need the kickboard," Makoto let out a sigh of relief.

" I wanna see another lap. Make it beautiful!" Nagisa punched the air in excitement.

" Naturally," Rei grinned even wider before he dove back in.

I put my hands on my hips and smiled; the boys had a relay team. It would certainly take some time to convince Haru, but that was something we didn't need to worry about yet. Rei still had some catching up to do, but at least I could help him improve his stroke. It would be nice to have another butterfly swimmer on the team again.

.oOo.

When I got to practice a day later, I got a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t expecting Yukari to be there, but I wouldn’t complain. I quickly changed into my swimsuit so I could go talk to her while the boys were busy bothering Kou. 

“I  _ love _ the swimsuit!” she squealed as she pulled me in for a tight hug.

“About that...” I bit my lip. I hadn’t told her about my encounter with Rin yet, so she probably had no idea what was going on.

“What happened?” she asked with a smirk. Just from her expression, I had a feeling she already knew who was involved.

“So, we went swimsuit shopping as a team last weekend. I wandered off to find one for myself, and then I heard someone behind me. I thought Kou had come to help me choose, so I asked her which one she thought was best. Turns out it was Rin, and he picked this one.” My voice was low. The others didn’t know about it, and I wanted it to stay that way for now.

“Why did you pick the one he chose?” Yukari asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t really know. I told him he should go back to his team so he wouldn’t be seen with someone who was such a waste of his time. He told me I wasn’t a waste of his time, and—”

“Stop blabbering, and start practicing!” Kou yelled, cutting me off. The boys all came running to the pool deck.

“Later.” Yukari smiled, shooting me a peace sign as she skipped away. 

“They’re finally here!” Nagisa said as he ripped open the box. He pulled out a shirt and a jacket, putting them on. He whirled around to face us, holding out his arms. “What do you guys think? Yukari-chan helped me pick out the colors.”

“The trim on the jacket is nice, but that logo…” Rei trailed off with a grimace.

“Little Iwatobi is the cutest mascot of all time!” Nagisa pouted, crossing his arms “I was going to put him on the jacket, but since you and Riku-chan hate him so much, I figured I’d just go for the shirt.” 

“It would have been nice if you left it out entirely,” Rei said under his breath.

“Alright guys, let’s get started,” Makoto said. “We should take a minute to go over the events we’ll be entering at districts. I’m up first, in the 100m and 200m backstroke. Now, who wants to go next?”

“Breaststroke for me. I’m thinking about competing in the 100m and 200m,” Nagisa said.

“Riku?” Makoto said, turning to me.

“I’m doing the 100m and 200m butterfly.” 

“Haru?” Makoto said.

“I only swim free.” 

“I don’t even know why I bothered to ask,” he sighed, but there was a grin on his face. . “What about you?” he said, turning his attention to Rei.

“I’m only comfortable with butterfly.” 

“That’s because you are one,” Nagisa said as he nudged the other boy.

“At any rate, it’s been awhile since we’ve competed, so we’ll have to work on our stamina. We should stick to short distances for now,” Makoto said

“I think we’re forgetting the most important thing,” said Nagisa.

“I assume you mean the relay. We don’t have to decide now, there’s still time. Today’s goal will be learning to pace ourselves, and focusing more on—”

“Check it out! You won’t believe what I just found,” Kou interjected, waving a book in our faces.

Kou had found a little booklet about a deserted island training camp done by the old swim club. She thought it would get us in great shape for regionals. Nagisa was already enamoured at just the thought of the islands. 

I was more concerned with Makoto. When we were kids, the fisherman who gave Makoto his pet goldfish, died at sea. Only Haru, Rin, and I knew about what happened, and about his fear of the ocean. I can’t say I wasn’t surprised when Makoto seemed all for it. 

.oOo.

Yukari stayed for the entire practice, and even came with us to talk Amakata-sensei into funding the trip.. Obviously there was no way that we could get the funding for it, so we were at a dead end. The six of us went to get ice cream at a convenience store to lift our spirits. Makoto brought up the idea of camping outside. His family had some nice camping equipment, so that took care of one problem. Now we just needed to find someone who owned a boat. 

I helped lug the equipment to Haru’s before Yukari and I walked to the train station. Hopefully, the others would come up with a way to get to the island.

“So, he said you weren’t a waste of his time,” Yukari prompted me to continue, linking her arm with mine. 

“Then I told him that he had an odd way of showing it, before Makoto called my name. Rin asked if Makoto and I were  _ dating _ .” I pretended to gag.

“Shouldn’t he know that you two are just friends?” Yukari asked, shocked.

“I thought he would, but I told him that Makoto was like a brother to me and Rin asked what  _ he _ was to me.”

“What did you say?” she gaped at me.

“I told him that he was a dick, and that I’d see him around.” I shrugged.

“I can’t believe he asked you that. You should still give him a piece of your mind the next time you catch him alone,” Yukari said.

“I just didn’t want the others to know about Rin being there but I have a feeling that Haru ran into him too.”

“I still can’t believe he said you weren’t a waste of his time.” Yukari shook her head.

“Me too. I know you said to not worry about Rin, but I just can’t get it out of my head.” I clenched my fists as I stared at the ground. We were nearing the train station now.

“Just don’t think about it  _ too  _ much. If he says something like that or just acts differently, take note of who's around.” I looked back up at Yukari, who was staring at the clouds. When she noticed my gaze, she smiled. Moments later, her train pulled into the station. She hugged me, then got on the train. As the train pulled away, I turned to head home. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. It was Nagisa. Coach Sasabe offered to give us a lift to the island in his squid boat!

.oOo.

It was finally the day we would have our training camp. My step-mom sent some snacks with me, and I had to make sure Nagisa wouldn’t eat them all. Instead of meeting Haru and Makoto at our regular spot, my mom offered to drive the three of us to the pier. 

“Thanks again, Mrs. Matsumura,” Makoto said as my mom came up to the pier.

“Anytime, you know I’m always here if you boys need anything.” She turned to look at the guys in the back seat. “Have fun you three!” 

I hugged and kissed her goodbye as Makoto and Haru got out of the car and gathered their things.

“Hey Haru-chan, Riku-chan, Mako-chan!” Nagisa waved at us from afar. As soon as he laid eyes on the plastic bag I was carrying, his eyes lit up. 

I sighed, fishing out a small baggie and handing it to him. “You can have it, but  _ later.  _ “My mom’s way of saying thanks.” 

“Thank her for me, will you?,” he said as took the bag.

“You guys are late,” Rei said, looking at his watch in distaste.

“That’s my fault. I’m not really a morning person,” I said, running a hand through my hair with a little laugh.

“Are we all here now?” Coach Sasabe asked.

“We’re still missing Amakata-sensei,” Rei said. 

But as soon as he did, Amakata-sensei sped by and came to a screeching stop. 

She grabbed all of her stuff in a hurry before she came to meet us.“Sorry to keep you all waiting. You must be Coach Sasabe, I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you. Thank you very much for the help. We couldn’t have done it without you,” Amakata-sensei smiled as she gave Coach a bento box.

“Wow, that’s really sweet of you,” he looked surprised, but accepted the box anyway.

Amakata-sensei frowned, “Is something wrong?”.

Coach narrowed his eyes as he leaned in.“Have I met you somewhere before? You look familiar.” He studied her face.

“Sorry, we’ve never met before today. You must have me confused with someone else.” She turned away, suddenly nervous.

“Is it just me or is he totally hitting on her?” Kou whispered incredulously..

“He’s  _ totally _ hitting on her,” I agreed, rolling my eyes. Then I went to help carry on the supplies for the camping trip.

.oOo.

When we reached the island, it was absolutely gorgeous. I knew Yukari would be jealous that I was spending the weekend on a ‘deserted’ island. Poor Rei had gotten sea sick, and he rushed to the bathroom while the rest of us unloaded the boat. I was planning on helping Amakata-sensei pick out an ideal camping space, but before I could, Rei came rushing back. We rushed to follow him, dumping the supplies near the potential campsite.

Rei led us to the side of a building with large windows. I heard yelling from inside, and when I looked through the glass, I saw water: a pool Nagisa pressed up to the glass looking at the swimmers down below. As soon as I saw maroon hair, I knew it must be Samezuka.

“Why’s the Samezuka swim team here?” Makoto asked what everyone was thinking.

“Look, Rin’s here too!” Nagisa pointed to the older Matsuoka.

“What’s the deal, Gou? Is this a part of your plan or something?” Makoto said. 

I crossed my arms, curious if this was her doing.

“This is a total surprise to me, I swear!” Kou put her hands up in defense.

“Are you sure about that?” I raised an eyebrow.

“I mean, it pretty much goes without saying that my brother won’t listen to a word I say. And plus…” She glanced at Haru.

“Plus what?” Nagisa asked.

“Nevermind. Forget I mentioned it.”

“So you’re saying this is just a coincidence? We should go say hello! Maybe Riku-chan can—”

“ _ No _ ,” I cut him off. 

“We can’t,” Haru said.

“Why not?”

“I made a promise. We’re going head to head at districts,” Haru said. 

I furrowed my brows, wondering if that conversation had happened when we went shopping. Nagisa immediately started to question Haru, and I made my way back to the campsite to pitch the tents.

.oOo.

When we finished, I had found out that Kou would be staying at the lodge with Amakata-sensei. She explained that she totally forgot about sharing a tent with me, and invited me to join them. I declined since I was looking forward to camping on the beach with the boys. 

Once we got into our swimsuits, Makoto went over the training regimen. Before Haru and I got in the water, we stopped to look at Makoto—who was staring out into the ocean. When he saw our gazes, he gave us a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m gonna be just fine. Come on, let’s go catch up to them.” Makoto started to walk towards the others. I ran past him to jump into the ocean.The water felt really good compared to the hot sun.

.oOo.

For the first day of training, things went extremely well. Rei fell behind, but I made sure to stick near him so he wasn’t by himself. When we stopped training, the sun was beginning to set. 

“I never thought long distance swimming would be this difficult,” Rei panted.

“For a first timer you did really well. I don’t think I could’ve done that,” Makoto said.

“You’ll be lapping us in no time,” I said, giving him an encouraging smile. 

Nagisa started going on about how we would be in amazing shape by the end of this camp. I had gone off to my tent to put on shorts and shoes since we would be eating soon. 

“Hey, that’s enough work for one day, guys. Let’s eat dinner with this gorgeous sunset while we can,” Amakata-sensei said.

“Alright, tropical barbecue!” Nagisa pumped his fist in excitement.

“Oh no. I forgot to bring the seasoning!” Amakata-sensei said, looked down at the bags.

“I’ll just go borrow some stuff from the lodge,” Kou saids.

“I’ll go with you. I want to see what it looks like,” I said, following after her. 

We ran toward the lodge, and I could feel my muscles getting sore. Just as we were about to enter the store, Kou bumped into a mousy grey-haired kid. When she moved back to apologize, I recognized the boy as Nitori—the one from Samezuka.

“Hey, you’re Rin’s sister, aren’t you?” Nitori asked Kou before he looked over at me.

“Is everything okay?” Rin appeared, leaning against the doorway.

“Hey, big brother.”

“Gou.” 

Rin glared at his sister, and then he turned his eyes to me.He glanced at the swimsuit I was wearing—the one he picked for me. “Hey Riku.” He finally met my eyes.

I noticed a small smile on his face, and I nodded to him.“Hey Rin.” 

I turned back to Kou. “I’ll go get the seasoning.” I rushed inside the store before Rin could see that I was blushing. 

When I left, Rin and Kou were no longer in front of the store. The siblings had gone to talk on a nearby bench. Rin had looked past his sister to stare at me. I began the walk back to the campsite, trying to get Rin off my mind. Sooner or later, he was going to find out that I picked the swimsuit he chose, I prefer that he would find out at districts. At least he wouldn’t have a chance to talk or smile, like he did only moments ago. 

“Where’s Gou?” Nagisa asked when I arrived at the campsite.

“She went to go get something in her room,” I said. “I’m starving.” I focused on making my pizza (without any pineapple or mackerel on it). 

Kou returned shortly after, humming with a smile on her face. 

“You’re happy,” I said when she caught me watching. Kou was definitely up to something, and hopefully it had nothing to do with her brother. 

Kou shrugged before she went to make her pizza. I did plan on telling Yukari what happened when we got back home. Right now I wanted to focus on the training camp. Hopefully, it would keep my mind off Rin.


	12. Chapter 11

After dinner, the boys played a game to see who would be sleeping in each tent. I didn’t bother because I had a tent all to myself. I said my goodnights and headed off to bed. Sleep had come quicker than I expected, but a desperate cry woke me from my slumber.    


“Haru, wait!” Nagisa yelled. I rushed out of my tent to see Nagisa following Haru into the ocean. When I saw Makoto and Rei in the distance, my heart dropped. I didn’t think when I jumped into the water after them. The storm was terrible. Haru grabbed hold of Makotowhile Nagisa went after Rei. I followed close to Haru and Makoto until we reached the shore. Haru had started to drag Makoto across the sand. I tried my best to help, but he was awfully heavy.   


“Somebody help! Nagisa, where are you? Rei!” Haru yelled as he looked around frantically. His breathing was rapid and his face was pale. It looked like he was about to pass out. 

I grabbed Makoto’s wrist, trying to find his pulse. “He’s still alive.” 

Haru let out the breath he had been holding. He then brought his ear over Makoto’s mouth, listening.

“His breathing’s shallow.” Haru looked at me for some sort of guidance.   


“Ah, umm, CPR. You know CPR, right?” I was starting to panic. Why did he have to go after Rei by himself? 

Haru nodded, taking a shuddering breath, but Makoto coughed and rolled to his side.   


“Makoto!” I nearly cried in relief. Haru looked the same.   


“Haruka, Riku,” Makoto spoke softly when he saw us hovering over him.   


“Makoto, are you hurt?” Haru asked.   


Makoto coughed again. “Where are we?”    


“Sukishima, I think. Remember we could see it from the tents?” Haru said, helping Makoto sit up.   


“I’ve gotta help Rei. Where is he?” 

Makoto scanned the coast, but Haru put his hands on Makoto’s shoulder, squeezing gently.   


“You need to take it easy; you could be injured,” Haru said.   


“I can’t let him drown!”   


“Nagisa has that covered, don’t worry,” I said.   


“Nagisa?”   


“Yes, let’s go over there. We’ll be out of the rain.” I pointed to the small cave. 

Haru pulled Makoto to his feet, slinging an arm around his shoulders to keep him upright. When we arrived, the three of us sat in silence, listening to the rainfall.   


“Are you starting to feel a little calmer now?” Haru asked Makoto, breaking the silence.    


“Yeah.” 

A few seconds of silence passed by until Haru spoke again, “Be honest with us. The ocean still scares you, doesn’t it?”   


“I thought I’d finally gotten over it, but then I took one look at Rei…” Makoto brought his hand to his face, “Seeing him like that… the memory of that day came flooding back. I shouldn’t have dragged either of you into this. I’m sorry.”   


“You didn’t drag me into anything.” Haru looked down at the sand beneath him.   


“Yeah, I came of my own free will,” I told Makoto.   


“Yeah right. This camp was my idea. I shouldn’t have been so serious about training. I guess I was trying to recreate what we had when we were kids or something. I just… wanted the gang back together.” 

My eyes were glossy when I looked at Makoto. That was something I wanted more than  _ anything _ . I put my hand on his shoulder. 

Makoto smiled at me, then he looked up at Haru; his eyes glistened. “I wanted to swim the relay again. If you're not going to be a part of it, what’s the point? I want to swim with _ you, _ Haru.”

Haru’s eyes widened, and I could see their sparkle. I hid a grin behind my hand.

“Hey, there they are!” Nagisa called, ruining the moment.

It was a relief that Nagisa and Rei were alright. Rei had apologized to Makoto, who told him not to worry—all of us were fine. Haru, however, chastised Rei for swimming in the ocean at night. When Nagisa told him that Rei was just trying to catch up to us, the frustration on his face lessened. I was surprised, but also freezing, so I dragged everyone along to find a place to stay for the night—it looked like the rain wouldn’t let up anytime soon. 

  
  


.oOo.

The five of us stumbled upon a rest house, but it was definitely creepy. 

Haru glanced at Makoto. “Makoto… are you okay?”    


Nagisa rolled his eyes. “Seriously, guys? If this were a horror movie, you would be the newlywed couple that gets killed in the first five minutes.”

I giggled but pulled the boys into the house behind me. Makoto was clutching the back of Haru’s shirt, scanning the area for any sign of movement.   


“Woah, that shadow just moved.” Haru pointed to the corner.—getting his revenge on Nagisa. Nagisa shrieked, clinging to my side. I grimaced, Makoto would not take kindly to that.   


“Sorry, Makoto.” Haru apologized when he saw the look on the other’s face.

“It’s alright,” Makoto offered him a shaky smile.    


“You guys should stay here while I take a look inside.” Haru turned.

  
“Let us come; safety in numbers, right? We might as well stick together to be careful.” Makoto said. 

Haru nodded, and the five of us treaded carefully into the abandoned building.   


“Wow, it’s almost pitch black in here,” Nagisa said.   


“I feel like something is going to pop out at us.” Rei clutched the kickboard to his chest.    


“Huh?” Nagisa said. Makoto and Rei jumped at the noise.   


“What is it?” I asked.   


“It’s a flashlight, awesome!”   


“Can you reel it in just a little bit?” Rei glared at him. 

Haru grabbed the flashlight. Thankfully, it still worked. We explored the kitchen nearby, but there wasn’t anything in the refrigerator; or refridge- _ rei _ -tor, since it was Rei’s ‘destiny,’ according to Nagisa.

Even after finding a bit of canned food and a few aprons—I grabbed an extra to use as a makeshift blanket—I was still cold. Sleeping wasn’t an option because the guys were being extraordinarily loud. Well, it was mostly Nagisa, but he was loud enough for all of us.

Nagisa decided it was a good idea to play a game with all our names on a die. Rei’s name was on there twice because he was Rei, apparently. We went through a few embarrassing stories and one “romantic” encounter.

Then it was my turn. A smile grew on Nagisa’s face when he saw my name on the die.

“Riku-chan’s turn!” He smiled. “Out of the four of us, who would you want to marry?”   


“That’s not fair.” I folded my arms.   


“Don’t avoid the question!”   


I raised an eyebrow. “None of you.”   


“That’s a little harsh,” Rei said.   


“Yeah, and it’s not an answer! You’ve gotta pick someone.” Nagisa looked at me with a wicked gleam in his eye... “Unless you have someone else in mind.”   
  


“No! If I’d have to pick, it would be Makoto,” I grumbled.   


“Ha! I got you to answer.” Nagisa laughed. 

Haru looked away with a frown, but Makoto smiled and squeezed his knee gently. 

After that, it was Nagisa’s turn. But then the conversation took a more serious turn. Makoto told us why he was afraid of the ocean. I frowned as I listened, but Makoto explained why he agreed to the training camp.  _ It was about the five of us being a team _ . A smile grew on my face because Makoto was right—there isn’t anything we can’t do. 

.oOo.

The rain had finally stopped, so we went outside. The sky was clear and covered in stars. It was gorgeous. I stared up at it in awe.   


“There’s the Summer Triangle, and that one’s vega,” Rei said.

“There’s the squid.” Nagisa pointed.   


“Where’s the mackerel?”   


“Neither of those exist.” Makoto laughed.   


“Rockhopper constellation there.”   


Rei sighed. “You’re making it up.”   


“Come on! We can call them whatever we want,” Nagisa pouted.   


That’s when I noticed. “Look, guys.” The relfection of the stars in the sea was breathtaking; I couldn’t take my eyes off it. The boys joined with, awe in their eyes. We stayed at the rest house for a little while longer. 

It was just about sunrise as we made our way down to the shore. It wasn’t as far of a swim as we thought. So the five of us swam across, and Makoto had turned it into a race. 

  
“I’m gonna beat you, Riku-chan!” Nagisa laughed; he and I were neck and neck. 

  
“No way!” I grinned as I sped up, even though my muscles were beginning to ache.

As soon as I got into shallow water I started running, and Nagisa wasn’t far behind. The rest of the boys were laughing at the friendly competition. Just as I had reached the shore I collapsed and started laughing. Nagisa laid down beside me and joined in on the laughter.   


“Who won?” I asked Makoto when he joined us on the beach.   


“I’m pretty sure it was a tie.”   


“We’ll have a rematch later,” I yawned.   


“You’re on!” Nagisa said, but his words were punctuated by a yawn. 

Soon after, we collapsed on the beach and drifted off into a deep sleep. We  _ were _ up all night after all. Although there was a smile on my face, there wasn’t anything we couldn’t do. 


	13. Chapter 12

On the last day of camp, we worked hard, and Kou had even taken some pictures for us. Even though it was fun, I was excited to get home and sleep in a real bed. Coach Sasabe picked us up around noon, and my mom was waiting to drive Makoto, Haru and I home when we got off the boat. I didn’t mention Rin at all—my mom didn’t need to know. But I did tell Yukari. As soon as I texted her she wanted all the details over coffee. 

Yukari was planning on watching our practice so we could check out the new cafe after. Yukari and her college friends went over the weekend, and she wanted to show me. When practice finally ended, I rinsed off as quickly as I could and went to change.    
  


Yukari was bouncing in her shoes when I came out. I could tell she couldn’t wait.   


“Are you excited about the coffee shop or what I’m going to tell you?” I linked my arm with hers as we started walking to the train station.

“Both! This could be our new coffee spot.” Yukari grinned.   


“We never had a coffee spot to begin with.”   


“Exactly. I don’t want you to say anything to me about _your_ weekend until we get there. I’ll tell you about mine to pass the time.” 

I was a little surprised that she wanted to wait. She was usually on top of all the gossip, but it would be nice hearing about her weekend. It seemed like crazy things always happen to her during those two days.

.oOo.

During the train ride, Yukari told me how she ran into the professor she hit on at the coffee shop we were heading to. Luckily, the brother of one of her friends saved her from that encounter. It sounded like he had a crush on her, but I didn’t think Yukari felt the same way. But she had gotten his number. Maybe they  _ would _ get into a relationship. Either way, I’d be happy for her because she works so hard.

Yukari picked up the pace as the cafe came into view. When we arrived, she offered to buy me a coffee while I went to get a place to sit. She practically skipped to the counter when our names were called. Thank god coffee cups had covers on them.    


“So, did his sister tell Samezuka you guys were there?” Yukari asked.   


“No, it was coincidental. They were having a training camp in the facilities while we were camping on the beach. Kou and I ran into him at the convenience store.” I took a sip of coffee; it _was_ really good.  


“What happened then?” Yukari leaned her elbows on the table.   


“He saw me in the swimsuit he picked out and smiled. I ran into the store before he could see me blush.”   


“Well, he was going to find out sooner or later.”    


“I know, but I would’ve preferred him seeing it at districts. At least I’d be able to avoid talking to him.” I leaned back in my chair, sighing.   


“I guess, but he wasn’t mean to you or anything?” Her eyes narrowed. She didn’t believe it went that smoothly.   


“No, he was alright. But that still doesn’t change the fact that he’s a dick,” I said, crossing my arms.   


“Well, enough about him—tell me about the rest of the camp!” Her eyes crinkled as she leaned forward.

Yukari listened quietly as I retold that night’s events. My favorite part about being stranded on the island was watching the stars swim around us. It was incredible.

We had finished our drinks by the time I was done explaining.

“You were right. That coffee was great,” I said as we walked out the door.   


“So, does this mean we have a new coffee place?”    
  


“Yeah.” I laughed, but then someone bumped into me. “Hey! Watch where you’re…” I trailed off when I saw a familiar mop of red hair. It was Rin. 

He took out his earbuds when he noticed me.“Hey, sorry, Riku.”He was in a tracksuit, probably on a run.    


“It’s okay, Rin. I, uh… didn’t know Samezuka was close to here.” My voice was strained.  
“Yeah, sometimes I run this way.” Rin rubbed the back of his neck, averting his eyes.

“Hi, I’m Yukari Kinoshita—Riku’s  _ best _ friend.” Yukari’s hand was extended. I turned around just enough so I could glare at her without Rin seeing. She had a look in her eyes that said, ‘I know  _ all _ about you.’   


“Hi. Rin Matsuoka.” He shook her hand, though he looked a bit uncomfortable. When Rin and I made eye contact again, I tried my best to not blush. I had no idea what he was thinking.

“I should get going, it was nice meeting you, Kinoshita.” Rin nodded to Yukari.   


“Likewise.”    


“It was nice seeing you, Riku.” Rin returned his attention to me.   


“Yeah, I’ll see you around, Rin.” I gave him an awkward wave before he put his earbuds back and continued on his jog. 

Yukari draped an arm around my shoulder as I watched him fade into the distance, dragging me towards the train station. “That was interesting.”   


“Did you know Samezuka was close to the coffee shop?” I asked. I knew Yukari wouldn’t do something like this intentionally, but I had to make sure.   


“No! If I had known, I wouldn’t have brought you here. Do you want to find a new cafe?   


“As long as we don’t run into Rin, I should be fine.”   


“If there is any sight of him, I’ll make sure to hide you.” She winked.   


“Also, the way you said ‘best friend’ was really weird. Do you know how awkward that was?”    


“Well, it’s the truth. Besides, he needs to know that I’ll do anything in my power to keep you from getting hurt again.”

“Whatever,” I sighed.   


“You know you love me,” Yukari hummed as the train station came into view. 

.oOo.

Kou was recording our times and giving us feedback since districts were only twelve days away. I was working my butt off to make a personal best. I wanted to make it to regionals, so I had to work hard. During the last three laps, my phone rang nonstop. I must have forgotten to silence it.    


“Riku, can you answer your phone? Whoever is calling—it must be urgent.” Kou asked when I resurfaced. When I looked to see who was calling, I sighed. It was Yukari. She knew I was at practice right now and should text me if she needed something.   


“Yukari, I’m swimming right now.”   


“I know, but I need to ask you something! Can you be a model for my school project?” Yukari asked.   


“You want me to be your  _ model _ ?”   


“Yes! I’ll be styling you from head to toe, and all you have to do is look pretty. I already have a camera and some outfits in mind.”    


“Will you be shooting?”   


“Yeah, unless you have someone else in mind.” I glanced at Kou. She did take some nice pictures during the training camp. And it would be nice for Yukari and Kou to get to know each other a little better.   


“I think so. Give me a second.” I put my hand over the speaker. “Hey, Kou, do you want to be the photographer for Yukari’s school project? I’ll be modeling some clothes.” 

Her eyes lit up as soon as I asked.“Yes! I know the perfect place,  _ and _ I can teach you the best poses to show off your muscles.”

I nodded, taking my hand off the speaker. “When can we get together?”   


“This weekend! Text me the details,” Yukari said before she hung up the phone.   


“I can’t believe Riku-chan’s gonna be a model!” Nagisa grabbed my arm, grinning.   


“I’m just helping Yukari with her school project.” I rolled my eyes.   


“But still, it’s  _ so _ exciting.” Nagisa’s eyes sparkled.    


“Enough chatting, you two. Time to get back in the water,” Kou said. 

I nodded as I dove into an empty lane. Nagisa followed suit. 

Once practice was over, Kou told me we could take pictures at her house—which always has great lighting— but that would mean seeing Mrs. Matsuoka again. Kou must have told her I was on the swim team. Maybe my mom could send some sweets with me. But I knew Rin wouldn’t be there since he’d be at practice 

I sighed. At least, I hoped he wouldn’t.


	14. Chapter 13

When I woke up Saturday morning, Koji was here. I’m just glad I could get out of the house and avoid him for most of the day. I rushed to get dressed—Yukari hadn’t given me any instructions on what to wear, so I picked a random outfit and grabbed my purse. That way, I could leave right when Yukari arrived. 

“I made you some breakfast, Riku.” Mom smiled as I walked into the kitchen.

“Ma was just telling me all about your joint practice with Samezuka. I’m surprised they let you join; it is an all-boys school,” Koji mused with a venomous smile.

“You should’ve been there. I put them in their place,” I said, sitting down at the kitchen counter.

“Yeah, my friend’s younger brother told him about that race. Kind of exciting that Rin’s back from Australia too. It must make you happy to see your old friend again.” Koji gave me a knowing look 

I glared at him. How did he find out about Rin? That would be enough ammunition to torture me, especially now that he has the inside scoop. I ate my breakfast as quickly as I could to get out of the kitchen.

“What time will Yukari be here?” Mom asked, changing the subject.

“Soon.” I watched as she put some sweets in a bag.

“You don’t want to spend some time with your big bro?” Koji asked.

“I made plans with Yukari days ago. I’m not gonna ditch her.” 

A moment later, the doorbell rang. I shot up from my seat and ran to the door. When I opened it, Yukari was standing there with a backpack and a giant rolling suitcase. 

“I’m so glad you're here,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Don’t forget this!” My mom handed me the bag of sweets.

“Hi, Mrs. Matsumura.”

“Hi, Yukari!” she smiled. “You girls have fun, and tell Mrs. Matsuoka that I say hi, okay?” She pulled me into a quick hug.

“We will. Love you, mom.” I kissed her on the cheek before we headed out.

On the way to the train station, Yukari told me about the outfits she brought with her and what she wanted to do with my makeup.

But I couldn’t keep my mind off my brother. I had to get it off my chest. “Koji decided to visit.”

“What did he say to you?” 

I could tell Yukari was worried. She hated my brother for the way he treated me—I’m always glad I can hang out with her if she’s free when Koji’s home. 

“That mom told him about the joint practice at Samezuka. He also knows Rin’s back from Australia.” 

“How?”

“His friend’s younger brother is on the swim team.” I sighed. “I’d appreciate it if we could take our time getting back.”

“Of course! We can do whatever you want when we’re done.” Yukari linked her free arm with mine. 

Then she started talking about her project again as we neared the train station. It was going to be a big part of her final grade. She was nervous, but I knew she would pass. 

The ride over to the Matsuoka’s was mostly quiet. A few minutes before we reached our stop, I told Yukari I was worried about seeing Mrs. Matsuoka again after so long.. Yukari told me I had nothing to worry about. 

The Matsuoka residence wasn’t very far from the station, and as we drew near the house, Kou opened the door.

“Hey, guys!” She grinned as she waited in the doorway.

“Hey Kou, my mom baked these for you guys.” I held out the bag of sweets. 

“Thank you!” Kou took them, moving aside to let us in. As we took off our shoes, Mrs. Matsuoka came over.

“It’s so nice to see you again, Riku,” she said, arms outstretched for a hug.

“It’s nice to see you too.” I fell into her arms. As I pulled away, I took a moment to look around the home—it hadn’t changed a bit. Being here brought up memories of when Rin and I were kids, and it made me a little uncomfortable.

“I’m Yukari Kinoshita. Thank you for letting us take pictures in your home.” Yukari held out her hand.

“Nice to meet you, Kinoshita-san. If you girls need anything, just let me know.” Mrs. Matsuoka spoke before Kou handed her the treats. She told me to thank my mom for her before she went off into the kitchen. 

Kou led us to her room, and I couldn’t help but look at the door to Rin’s. I felt my heart ache—things were so different now. If he hadn’t become such a dick, maybe I’d be spending time here with him; just like all those years ago.

“So, do you need to take Riku’s measurements before we get started?” Kou asked as Yukariopened the suitcase.

“No, we’re pretty much the same size..” Yukari held up the first outfit. It was a black crop top and some high-rise brown tartan pants. “Where do you think would be the best place to take pictures of this outfit?” Yukari asked, looking at Kou.

“Maybe at the dining room table or outside,” Kou said.

Both girls had turned around so I could change into the outfit. 

“We’ll take pictures in both places. I want you to wear these when we go outside.” Yukari held up a pair of black, heeled boots once I finished changing.

I took a seat at Kou’s desk; Yukari was going to do my hair and some simple makeup.

Kou put some music on. 

Once Yukari was satisfied with the look, we went to the dining room. Mrs. Matsuoka brought over a hot cup of tea for the pictures. Yukari and Kou directed me into all sorts of poses. The two of them disagreed at first, but they quickly compromised. Once they had their shots, we headed back into Kou’s room for a clothes swap.

The next outfit was an oversized, distressed black sweatshirt tie-dyed with bleach, black shorts, faux, black thigh-high tights with an upside-down cross, and black combat boots. Yukari styled my hair into a messy bun and gave me a random book off Kou’s bookshelf. 

“It may look too casual, but it matches your style. Distressing and bleaching an old sweatshirt does wonders,” Yukari beamed.

“You should sit on my bed and read the book,” Kou said.

“Yeah, but I want a front and a sideways shot first.” Yukari looked at Kou as I sat down on the bed. “Ooh, I want a few shots of you crossing your legs too,” she added. 

I nodded as I sat down on the bed, but I couldn’t help crossing my eyes for just one picture. 

Kou burst into laughter as she showed Yukari the picture. Yukari shook her head, but she was less tense than before. 

“What if I was hanging off the bed upside down?” I grinned.

“It won’t showcase the outfit very well, but if you want to do something ridiculous, go ahead. But only one ridiculous shot per outfit.” Yukari said, knowing that it would probably take us a bit longer to get finished. I laid off the edge of the bed, but I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. 

Yukari snorted when she peered over Kou’s shoulder. “I’m gonna hang this on my wall.”

I got up to look at the picture and laughed again at how ridiculous I looked. 

Kou turned down the music when she heard footsteps. Her mom was probably bringing us something to drink. Yukari started to prepare the next outfit—she wanted at least two more shots of me in this one before moving on to the next.

“Gou, have you seen my old training regimen?” 

As soon as I heard Rin’s voice, my heart started to race. 

Yukari looked up from the pile of clothes and gave me a look. 

Rin was standing in the doorway, and his eyes instantly flitted to me. 

I couldn’t find any words as he took in my outfit.

“Nice to see you again, Matsuoka,” Yukari said.

“What are you guys doing here?” Rin frowned.  
“I invited them over to help Yukari with a school project. I’m taking the pictures, and Riku is modeling the outfits Yukari put together.” Kou said. 

Rin looked back at me.“Y-you look nice, Riku.”

“Uh, thanks.” I looked down so he couldn’t see my blush. 

“She makes a great model,” Yukari said.

“So, why did you come home again?” Kou asked.

“Uh… I couldn’t find my old training regimen, so I thought it might be here.” Rin fumbled over his words. 

“Oh, I borrowed it for the swim team.” Kou went over to her desk and grabbed a piece of paper from one of her binders. 

I looked back up at Rin. Just the mention of the swim team annoyed him. But he didn’t say anything about it. 

When Kou handed him the form, he mumbled a thank you, then looked at me again. “Bye, Riku.” 

“Bye… ” I turned around to look at Yukari once Rin left the room. Her eyebrows were raised in interest. 

“We have a few more outfits to shoot. Let’s get a move on!” Yukari clapped her hands before handing me the next outfit. I knew she wanted to get my mind off of Rin as soon as possible. 

.oOo.

The rest of the afternoon was fun. We took various shots in the different outfits Yukari put together. Mom sent me a text letting me know Koji had left and Yukari could stay for dinner. Instead of walking around town, we planned on going back to my house to look over the photos. Yukari didn’t say a word about Rin until we were safely in my bedroom.

“I think he was blushing,” she said as she opened up my laptop on the bed. I looked over her shoulder as she swiped through the pictures.

“What?”

“I think Rin was blushing when he complimented you. It was weird.”

“How is it weird?”

“Well, this is like, your fourth encounter with him without the swim team, and he’s been perfectly respectable.” Yukari shrugged before she grabbed the phone. I looked through the photos as Yukari sent a text.

“How many pictures of each outfit do you need?” I asked.

“Three at the max. I’m gonna send the ones I like most, then narrow it down even more,” she said with a smile.

Then there was a knock on my door frame, it was my mom. “How did the pictures come out?”

“Great! This one's my favorite.” Yukari held up the laptop to show my mom. It was the photo of me hanging off the bed.

“Can I get a copy of that too?” she laughed.

“Of course!” Yukari beamed before going to a different picture that looked more professional than the previous one.

“Yukari, you did such an amazing job with the outfits. Riku looks beautiful.” 

“Thank you, Mrs. Matsumura!” 

“Thanks, mom.”

“You’re welcome. I just wanted to tell you that dinner should be ready soon,” mom said before she left the room. 

Yukari and I looked through a few more pictures before heading down to help my mom set the table. The rest of the evening was relaxing, and I told my mom about my encounters with Rin. She thought he could be opening up. I told her I still hated him but was even more confused than before. 

Why was he being so nice to me? 

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach when I thought back to this afternoon. Why did Rin have to be so confusing? At least I didn’t have to see him until Districts next week. I had to put all my focus into training if I wanted to make it to regionals.


	15. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone had a safe Christmas! :)

It was finally the day of districts. Yukari called me the night before to make sure I went to bed early. She was coming with my step-mom because I wanted to walk to the train station with Haru and Makoto.

Yukari also called me the next morning to make sure I wasn’t late to meet the boys. I packed my swim bag and put on the uniform for the swim club. Then my mom handed me some breakfast to go, and I was out the door. 

Haru and Makoto were waiting for me when I got there.

“Hey, guys! Are you excited?” I asked as I ran over to them.   


“Yeah, it’s been a while” Makoto said.   


“I’m honestly so glad we started a swim club. For some reason, I feel whole again,” I said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.    


“We should get going,” Haru said.

I nodded as I walked with Makoto and Haru to the train station. It was mostly quiet between the three of us, and it made me wonder what Haru was thinking. Today was the day he would race against Rin, and I honestly wished there was something I could say to him. 

The three of us walked to the train station where Nagisa and Rei were already waiting. Nagisa was talking Rei’s ear off, and Rei looked relieved when the three of us arrived.   


“Hey, Mako-chan, Haru-chan, Riku-chan! Look at Rei—he was so nervous last night that he didn’t sleep a wink.” Nagisa pointed to the dark circles under Rei’s eyes. 

“If only my nerves were obtuse as yours,” Rei grumbled.    


“Don’t worry you’ll get there soon enough. Just relax and everything will be fine.” Nagisa waved his hand.   


“You’ve come a long way, Rei. I know you're going to be awesome.” I smiled.   


“Thanks, Riku.”   


“Enough chatting, you two! Let’s go out there and do what we do best!” Nagisa pumped his fist into the air before the five of us boarded the train. On the train ride over we made idle chatter. I suggested that we try to help Rei relax since this would be his first time swimming in a tournament. 

.oOo.

Makoto was the one to check us in, and Nagisa had to bring up the time we were mistaken for a girls team until they saw me when they were checking the other list.   


“I still don’t understand how you could have mistaken me for a boy.” I shook my head.   


“You  _ were _ a bit of a tomboy when we were kids.” Nagisa brought his index and thumb to his chin. 

“I was  _ not _ .”   


“Nagisa is kind of right, Riku.” Makoto chuckled.   


“Whatever.”   


“Riku!” Yukari ran up to us. 

My face brightened—she looked like she could have been a cheerleader. She was wearing the yellow shirt from our uniform, a blue and white skirt, and white tennis shoes. 

“Wow, Yukari-chan, you look like one of those professional cheerleaders!” Nagisa’s eyes sparkled.   


“Thanks! I wanted to look my best! You never know who you’ll end up meeting.” Yukari winked. 

I rolled my eyes. Yukari would definitely be looking at the older swimmers. One thing she and Kou had in common was looking at muscles—even though Yukari wasn’t as obsessed as Kou was.   


“We should go find Kou and Amakata-sensei,” Makoto said. 

I lead the way to the stands to see Kou, Amakata-sensei, and my mother in the stands. 

My mother greeted me with a hug before Kou gathered our teammates to go over the program. Haru and Rin would be swimming in the fourth heat in adjacent lanes. Haru was as stoic as always, so there was no way I could tell what he was thinking.

“Hey, Gou! Over here!” A familiar voice yelled. Yukari and I both looked to the noise to see Mikoshiba.   


“I told him he has to stop calling me Gou,” Kou grumbled as Mikoshiba continued yelling and waving to get her attention.   


“Why don’t you make his day and wave back?” I teased.    


“No way.”

“He’s such a cutie,” Yukari said, leaning against the railing.   


“You can have him,” Kou rolled her eyes.   


“Where’s Rin? Does anyone see him?” Makoto asked, catching Haru’s and my attention. I peered around the room, searching for the familiar maroon mop of hair. Maybe he had gone to get ready, it was already late enough. Haru had grabbed his swim cap and goggles as he walked off. Hopefully, whatever happened would resolve what was going on between them.

.oOo.

I was holding my breath for most of Haru and Rin’s race. Yukari was the one to nudge me and remind me that I needed to breathe. To our disbelief, Rin had won and cheered in victory. Rin stopped at Haru’s lane to say something to him, and Haru’s demeanor changed as he got out of the water. I glared at the spot where Rin was once standing. What the hell did he say to him?

By the time Coach Sasabe showed up, Haru hadn’t come back. That made me even more concerned about him and whatever Rin had said. Rei was the one to bring up that Haru should have been back by now, and he left to go check on him. Nagisa, Makoto, and I followed behind Rei. Rei picked up the pace, making the rest of us walk faster.   


“Can you  _ wait _ ?” Makoto grabbed Rei’s wrist.   


“Why are you stopping me?”    


“Just because—”

“You both need to calm down!” Nagisa cried.   


“Aren’t you the least bit worried about Haru?” Rei turned to look at Makoto, but my eyes were locked on the figure that was approaching us: Rin Matsuoka.   


“Rin,” Nagisa said.   


“You’re here? I forgot you guys are competing in the tournament too.” Rin said, averting his eyes.    


“So, uh… have you seen Haru around?” Nagisa asked

“No, why?”   


“Well, he hasn’t come back yet.” 

“Maybe he’s sulking after I kicked his ass at freestyle. Hey, he’s the one that said he didn’t care about winning. This is all on him,” Rin scoffed. 

I glared at him; he was back to being a dick.

“Well if losing the race isn’t the issue, there must be some other answer,” Rei said.

“What? What else is there to care about? It’s all about winning.” Rin turned his attention to Rei. 

Before I could speak up Makoto did “Plenty. At least Haru always thought there was more to it. That’s why he wanted to race you. The person that made him carewas you, Rin. Remember? When we swam that relay back in—”.    


“I don’t care! I already beat him. I’m done here,” Rin cut Makoto off and continued on his way.

I turned to watch him walk away, not paying attention to what Rei was saying. What he just said had made my blood boil and I planned on talking to him at intermission.   


“Right, Riku?” Makoto asked.

I looked up at him, confused, “I’m sorry, what?”    


“Haru isn’t the one to talk about his feelings,” Makoto said with a smile.   


“Yeah, it’s always been like that, but we should focus on our own races. Especially you three since you’ll be going up soon. Come on.” I started walking back towards the stands.

When we came back Yukari gave me a look as I knew she could tell I was angry.

“Rin,” I whispered to her.   


“What are you going to do?” she asked.   


“Tell him off in private.” I looked across the way to Samezuka, Rin hadn’t joined his team. Hopefully, it would be easy to find him after so I could yell at him. How could he be so cold-hearted?

  
  


.oOo.

Each boy’s race was amazing, but none of them advanced. They all did their best, but it still wasn’t enough.. 

Yukari came with me to find Rin. We didn’t find him in the building, so we went outside to look around. He was getting off the Samezuka bus when we spotted him.   


“I’ll be waiting here. Give him hell,” Yukari smiled. I took a deep breath in as I walked over to Rin. He looked a little surprised to see me.   


“Can we go talk somewhere private?” I asked him. 

Rin looked a bit taken aback at first. “Yeah, we can talk on the bus.” He gestured to the empty bus. I grabbed his sleeve and pulled him onto the bus. Rin wouldn’t meet my eyes; he was staring at the old leather bus seats.. “What did you want to talk about?”    


“What the hell is wrong with you? The Rin  _ I  _ knew wouldn’t treat his friends like this. Or saying shit like that. It’s all about winning? It wasn’t just about winning before. The old Rin loved swimming with his friends.”

Rin finally met my eyes.

“Ever since you got back you’ve been a huge dick to them. I had always hoped that when I saw you again we could swim as a team, but whatever happened in Australia changed you—and not for the better. If you ever see the old Rin Matsuoka, you know, the one who cared about his friends, tell him that I miss him.” I finished, then stormed off before he could even get a word out. If I stayed any longer I would end up in tears because I was so  _ angry _ at him. 

Yukari was waiting for me when I got off the bus and immediately gave me a reassuring hug. I was still furious, and I planned on using that energy in my upcoming race.    


“You should go get ready. I’ll be cheering for you!” Yukari beamed. 

I nodded before running back up to the stands to grab my swim bag. When I entered the locker room I no longer felt nervous, and I never had felt more ready for a race in my entire life. I had two races, and I’d be happy with advancing in either one. 

  
  


.oOo.

The 100m butterfly race was rough, and I didn’t advance. During the 200m, I gave it my all, and I advanced to regionals! When I got out of the pool, I looked up at the team, crying happy tears and smiling.    


“Yes, Riku!” Yukari cheered at the top of her lungs.

I waved before hurrying off to change back into my uniform. Yukari immediately pulled me into a hug as I exited the locker room. She must have left the stands to wait outside for me.    


“You did it! Congratulations!”   


“Thanks for being an amazing cheerleader,” I laughed as I pulled away.   


“Everyone is waiting for you, come on!” Yukari pulled my sleeve towards the lobby. Haru wasn’t with them, and I frowned. I knew he was going through something, I hoped he was okay..    


“That was awesome, Riku-chan! You’re going to regionals.” Nagisa gripped my sleeve, grinning.   


“I can’t believe I advanced, but I wish you guys advanced with me.”    


“Don’t worry, Riku. We’ll be cheering you on,” Makoto said.   


“Yeah! Maybe Yukari can make us some cheerleading uniforms.” Nagisa winked.   


“What’s wrong with wearing our regular uniforms?” Rei asked.   


“They won’t be festive enough!” Nagisa waved a finger at Rei.   


“We can talk about that later. Let’s get going.” Makoto ushered them out.    


“I’m so proud of you, Riku. I’ll see you at home,” my mom grinned, pulling me in for a hug.   


“I have to get home to finish up my project. Let me know all the details for regionals,” Yukari said, hugging me as soon as my mom pulled away.   


“I’ll text you,” I said before I pulled away and watched Yukari and my mom walk off. 

Amakata-sensei and Coach Sasabe had both left Rei, Nagisa, Makoto, Kou, and I to walk home. We were talking about how exciting regionals were going to be, but it would also be a little sad since none of the others had advanced. That was, until Kou interrupted us. 

“Kou, you didn’t…” I said, shocked.   


“I’m so sorry. I secretly signed you four up for the medley relay tomorrow.” Kou jumped in front of us and bowed. “I already told Amakata-sensei about it too.”

“So if we win the relay…”   


“You guys will qualify for regionals.” My face lit up. There could still be a chance for them!   


“No way, it’s too out of the blue. On top of that, we haven’t had any time to practice 

for a medley relay,” Makoto argued.   


“Yeah, if you told us about it sooner we might have been ready,” Nagisa agreed.   


“I realize that it’s not ideal, but we all know if I had told you, Haru would’ve said no.”   


“Let’s do it,” Rei said.   


“For real?” I asked, mouth wide open.   


“This is our last chance. We’d be fools not to take advantage of it. So we haven’t practiced, who cares? It’s still worth a try.” Rei looked at Makoto and Nagisa. 

The two exchanged glances before nodding in agreement.   


“We have no time to waste! Let’s go and tell Haru,” I said, taking off towards the train station.

The others were following close behind me. The faster we had gotten to Haru’s, the sooner we could try to convince him to do the relay. It was all up to him now.


	16. Chapter 15

On the train, I texted both my mom and Yukari to tell them what was going on. Yukari was ecstatic that I might be going to regionals with my friends. My mother wished us good luck to convince Haru that he should swim in the relay and planned on saving me a plate of food when I got home. 

The four of us entered Haru’s house from the back and searched the entire house. He wasn’t home, so we thought we should wait for him to come back. Makoto and I were sitting outside while Rei, Nagisa, and Kou were inside. Then Nagisa suggested we call him. I sighed into the night sky.    


“You think he’ll say yes?” I asked Makoto after the others left Haru a voicemail.   


“I don’t think so. Even though it  _ would _ be nice for us to compete” Makoto said. 

I frowned. In my heart, I hoped there was a small chance Haru would say yes.    


“Wait, his phone is right here!” Nagisa said.Makoto and I turned back to look at the others. “Haru always leaves his phone at home, that’s why you never see him use it,” I told him.   


“It’s getting pretty late. We should probably head out for the night.” Makoto stated.   


“But—”   


“I don’t think Haru will swim tomorrow. We’ll forfeit.”

Their faces fell at my words.    


“Will you be okay staying here?” I asked Makoto.   


“Yeah.”   


“Text me when he comes back, okay?” I gave him a weak smile before I got up.    
  


The walk was quiet between the four of us—the hope we’d had was gone after what Makoto had said. Even though it was true, I liked having that small glimmer.

When I reached home, I texted Yukari about what happened and told my mom as I ate dinner. My footsteps were heavy as I walked up to my room. I was upset there was no hope of the boys competing at regionals. 

.oOo.

The next morning, a call woke me up from my sleep. I answered without even looking at the caller ID.   


“Hey, Riku, are you awake?” A bubbly voice said. It was Nagisa.   


“Barely, what’s up?” I yawned.   


“Haru agreed to swim the relay! Hurry up and get ready!”I shot up out of my bed, a grin on my face. “This isn’t a dream?”   


“No! I’ll see you there,” Nagisa said before he hung up. I rushed around my room while I waited for Yukari to pick up the phone. I had to call twice before she answered.

“What’s so important that you have to call  _ this _ early?” Yukari grumbled.   


“Haru said yes! The boys are going to swim the relay!” I couldn’t keep the smile off my lips.   


“No way! I need to get ready so I can cheer them on!” Yukari was suddenly full of energy.   


“Awesome! I’ll see you there,” I said, then hung up the phone. I got dressed and rushed down the stairs to tell my mom the good news. She gave me some breakfast to-go, and I ran out the door.

.oOo.

On my way there, I ran into Yukari. She was equally excited that the boys were swimming in the relay. I was a little nervous since this would be Rei’s first medley, but I had a feeling he’d do just fine. 

As Yukari and I neared the building, Amakata-sensei, Kou, Makoto, and Haru were all waiting outside.    
  


“Where’s Nagisa and Rei?” I asked, looking around for them.   


“We have no idea,” Kou said, frowning.   


“Sorry about that!” Nagisa yelled from the distance.   


“Speak of the devil.” Yukari shook her head.   


“Where have you two been?” Kou asked.   


“We’ve been practicing exchanges at the school since early this morning,” Rei said with a grin.   


“Now his theories won’t completely backfire.” Nagisa nudged Rei, a smirk on his face.

“I’m gonna cheer with all I’ve got!” Yukari pumped her fist in the air.   


“We’ll all be swimming at regionals. I can feel it,” I smiled, trying to stave off the nerves.

“That’s the spirit, Riku!” Nagisa patted me on the back. 

We all headed inside the building after getting checked in. The boys went off to get ready while Kou, Amakata-sensei, Yukari, and I sat in the stands. I clutched Yukari’s hands as soon as the boys came out onto the deck with the others. I had no doubt in my mind that the boys would make it to regionals. When the first whistle was blown, Makoto jumped into the water to get into position. The second whistle started the race. We cheered at the top of our lungs as the boys did their exchanges.

When Haru got into the water, the other swimmers had no chance. He won without any trouble. I felt tears dripping down my face; I’d be swimming with my best friends!   


“They did it!” I grinned, hugging Yukari.

“You’re all going to regionals!” Yukari squealed.    


“We’re all going to regionals!” I repeated; the reality of the win was still setting in.

We had all gone to wait for the boys to change. As soon as they came out of the locker room, I rushed up to hug them. It brought me back to the time they won that relay when we were younger. “Congratulations!”    


“We’re all going to regionals together,” Nagisa laughed.   


“You need to send me the date so I can be there! I can’t wait!” Yukari smiled.    


“You never doubted us, Riku,” Rei said, pushing up his glasses.   


“How could I? You guys are incredible! Let’s go back to my house and celebrate!”Nagisa’s eyes lit up. He practically dragged me out the door with the others following close behind.

.oOo.

When we returned to school, there was an assembly to congratulate the swim team on advancing to regionals. It felt amazing that we were getting some recognition and would get a bigger budget.

In class, Haru seemed a bit off. He was staring outside the window, and it looked like he was daydreaming. Before Makoto and I could walk with him to the pool for practice, he disappeared.    
  


“I can’t wait for regionals! I thought we could visit the amusement park once we made it to nationals.”   


“Nagisa will be happy,” Makoto chuckled.   


“I’ll be happy about what?” Nagisa popped up beside us.

“Going to the amusement park once we make it to nationals,” I said again.   


As soon as I mentioned it, Nagisa’s eyes lit up. 

“Are you talking about the new one that opened up?” Rei asked as he and Kou joined us.

“Yeah, my dad got tickets so I could go with you guys.”   


“Riku-chan’s dad designed the rides!” Nagisa added.   


“He wants me to follow in his footsteps,” I sighed. Since Rei was going to be a part of our friend group, I thought it was a good idea to tell him about my dad. He’d probably have to hear me complain anyway.   


“What do you want to be?” Rei asked.   


“I don’t know. Maybe a job where I can draw.”   


“You still have another year to worry about that. Let’s focus on making it to nationals! Race you to the pool!” Nagisa took off laughing.    


“You think you can beat a former track and field star?” Rei pushed up his glasses again. 

Kou and Rei ran off after Nagisa, laughing. I watched them run off for a moment before I joined them in the race. Even though there was no way of me beating them, I at least wanted to beat Makoto. 

When the five of us reached the pool, Makoto, Rei, Nagisa, and I went to change while Kou got out her notes. 

Haru was just getting out of the pool when the four of us walked up to the deck.   


“So this is where you ran off to,” I said.   


“I’m glad to see that you’re working so hard,” Kou said as she handed Haru a towel.   


“I’m not. I was swimming because I didn’t know what else to do. When I feel lost I look for advice from the water.” Haru looked back at the pool.   


“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, puzzled.   


“Looks like everyone’s here. I’d say it’s time to get going,” Makoto said, coming up behind Kou.   


“You’re right. Let’s do some warm-up laps, everybody!” Kou instructed us. 

Rei and Nagisa ran to dive into the water, ready to swim 

I looked at Makoto and then at Haru.. Makoto and I both knew Haru’s race with Rin was affecting him. Hopefully, he would open up at some point, but as Makoto had said—Haru was never one to talk about his feelings. Maybe Makoto could get him to confess. They had been friends for years; if anyone could do it, it would be Makoto.


	17. Chapter 16

The next few days I focused on training and my studies. Anything for me to avoid my father since he was designing another coaster. When I got home from practice, my step-mom didn’t ask me to help her with dinner, so I went upstairs. It was a bit odd because it was rare for me to go relax after getting home. 

Just as I laid down on my bed, my step-mom appeared in the doorway. Her expression was troubled.   


“Hey, mom, what’s up?”   


“Can you get yourself ready and come help with dinner?”   


“What’s the occasion?”   


“We’re having dinner with the Matsuokas.” 

My heart dropped at the sudden news. “Why would you ask them to dinner?”    


“I ran into Kou and Mrs. Matsuoka when I was at the store the other day. We started catching up, and Kou brought up the idea of dinner. I felt bad about saying no, especially since it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other.” She sat down on the bed, her hands clasped in her lap.

I was angry that she waited to tell me, but I was angrier that Kou was the one to suggest it. 

“I’ll be down in ten.” I sighed. My mom was  _ always _ there for me, and I never really gave her anything in return. I could suck it up for her, but I would still talk to Kou about it.

My mom smiled at me before leaving my room. 

I got up and picked out my outfit: a simple grey and black plaid dress, a black t-shirt underneath, and a pair of tights. 

When I made my way downstairs, the front door opened and Koji stepped through it. This night just got a whole lot worse.   


“Hey, ma!” Koji called, and then his eyes landed on me.    


“What are you doing here?” I crossed my arms, glaring at him.

“I wanted a free meal. You have a date?” he asked with a mischievous smile on his face. 

I ignored him and continued on my way to the kitchen. “What do you want me to do?” I asked my mom.   


“Chop up the onions,” she said.    


“So, what’s with the feast?” Koji said as he strode into the kitchen.   


“We’re having dinner with the Matsuokas.” My mother answered. When I turned around, I could tell she was worried. She already knew I wasn’t happy about having dinner with the Matusokas, but now that Koji was here, everything was far worse. 

“Guess I picked a good night to come home.” 

I ignored him and continued chopping the onions. I prayed this night would go by fast since I knew Koji was already coming up with ways to make me suffer. Maybe I would get lucky and Rin wouldn’t be able to come tonight.

.oOo.

Dinner was just about done when the doorbell rang. My mom left the kitchen before Koji could get up to answer it. “Hi, Miyako! I’m so happy that you all could make it. It’s been a while since we’ve had dinner together.”   


“Thank you for offering, Sakura. I’ve always enjoyed your cooking,” Mrs. Matsuoka said.    


“So is that why you’re all dressed up? To show Rin what he’s missing?”   


“Shut up, Koji.” I glared at him.   


“Riku, Koji, come say hello.” my mom called.

Koji was the first one out the door, and I followed behind him. Kou was holding a piece of paper in her palm, but I didn’t pay much attention to it before I looked at Rin. He looked uncomfortable as soon as we made eye contact.   


“Hi, Mrs. Matsuoka.” I waved before going over to hug Kou.   


“I made a new training regimen for you.” Kou handed me the paper as I pulled away.

I took it from her and looked it over. “Thanks!” I smiled before I looked at Rin. Even though I hated him so much right now; I had to at least be civil for my mother’s sake.    


“Hey…” Rin said.   


“Hi, Rin.” I gave him a weak smile.    


“It’s so nice to see you guys!” Koji gave them his famous fake smile.    


“Can you go get your father, Koji?” mom asked.

Koji nodded before waltzing up the stairs to get our father.

I went into the kitchen to place the training regime on the counter so I could grab the plates. I could feel the tension as I put down the plates in front of our guests.

My father had entered the dining room a few minutes after Koji had taken his seat next to my dad’s seat. During dinner, things were going well. Time was flying by and I just listened to what my mom and Mrs. Matsuoka were talking about. That was until Koji took the opportunity to torture me.   


“Dad was telling me how you changed the design on that ride, and the contractor loved it,” he said.    


“That’s wonderful, Riku!” Mrs. Matsuoka beamed.   


“She blew them all out of the water with her design. I was so proud! Riku is going to be a great designer just like her father,” he smiled at me. 

I looked down at my plate so my father couldn’t see the look on my face. “I can’t wait.”

“You were always good at drawing,” Rin said.   


“Thanks,” I mumbled, keeping my eyes on my plate.

“Sometimes I wish I could draw as good as Riku. It would be really exciting being able to draw rides and all that.” Koji put on a fake smile. 

Thankfully, my father’s work phone rang, so he had to excuse himself. When I looked up, Rin was looking at me. I glanced at Kou and then at Mrs. Matsuoka.   


“Kou and I actually have a project coming up, and I was wondering if we could be excused to go work on it.” I sent a pleading look at my mother.   


“What’s the project?” Koji asked.   


“A creative writing assignment,” I said.   


“Of course.” My mom nodded.

I grabbed Kou’s wrist and dragged her out of the dining room. I let go and went into the kitchen to grab the training regimen she gave me.   


“Can you time me while I do some laps?” I asked her.    


“Uh, sure, but why do you want to swim now?” she asked as she followed me to the pool.   


“Because I’d rather be swimming than have to sit at the dining room table any longer. If I had known that we were going to have dinner tonight, and Rin would be here, I would have made other plans,” I said, grabbing a spare swimsuit and going to change.    


“I thought you two were getting along.”   


“Wrong. What he said at districts pissed me off, so I gave him a piece of my mind.” 

Kou didn’t respond.

“Are you ready?” I asked, pulling my goggles over my eyes.   


“Yeah.” She nodded. 

I got into position and dove into the water. At least I could work on my stroke. Kou gave me some good advice as I swam, but I didn’t swim for very long. Just as I was getting out of the pool, the other Matsuoka entered the room.   


“What do you want?” I glared at him.   


“I owe you a race, don’t I?” Rin said.   


“That was when we were kids. And you don’t have your swimsuit.”   


“It’s in the car. My mom picked me up after practice,” Rin said as he left the pool. It was only a few minutes before he came back and went to change.

I couldn’t find the words to tell him to leave until he came out. “I want to swim alone, Rin.” I walked over to my towel. 

Kou shifted between the two of us.    


He looked at me. “I’ll leave you alone if you race me.”   


“Butterfly, 100 meters.” I walked over to the starting block.    


“Do you want me to time you?” Kou asked as Rin walked over to the starting block next to mine.    


“Please.”

Rin and I got into position before Kou signaled for us to start. Rin was in the lead but as we turned he started to fall behind. He was going easy on me, and that pissed me off even more. 

When I reached the end and got out of the water, Kou rushed out of the room. She probably wanted to get out of here since I was going to tell Rin off again.   


“I wanted a real race. Not for you to let me win,” I said.    


“Why are you being like this, Riku?” Rin asked as he got out of the pool.   


“Don’t pretend that you care about me.” I clenched my jaw. Why was he doing this? Why couldn’t he just leave me alone?   


His brows furrowed. “What are you saying?”   


“You  _ broke _ our pinky promise!”   


“I’m not the one who broke our pinky promise. You were the one who never wrote back!” Rin yelled.   


“What are you talking about! When you got my letter, the least you could have done was written back to me to tell me that you didn’t feel the same way. Or you could have told me when you were home for the holidays. So stop pretending that you care!” Tears were rolling down my cheeks at this point. Rin’s face fell during the silence as he looked at me. The silence was deafening as I stood there crying, waiting for him to say something. 

“I never got that letter,” Rin finally spoke.   


“You never got the letter where I confessed my feelings for you?” I stared at him in disbelief. I searched his face for some indication of what he was thinking. He was so hard to read, and I wasn’t sure what to expect.    


“When I didn’t get a letter back from you, I thought about writing to you again. But then I hit a wall and figured you hated me.” Rin took a few steps towards me.   


“I hated you when you never wrote back. I wished your letter would finally come or you’d knock on my door. I missed my best friend.”   


“I’m sorry, Riku,” Rin whispered. In a moment, his face was inches away from mine. Then I felt his lips against my own. Instinctively, I kissed him back. My heart was pounding in my chest. I had been wanting this for so long. My feelings for Rin had never gone away. Wait, did this mean that Rin had feelings for me too?

Just as Rin pulled away, Kou poked her head in the doorway to tell him that they were leaving. I watched as he went into the changing room, still processing what had just happened.    


“Bye, Rin. I’ll see you around.” I gave him a shy wave.   


“Bye, Riku.” Rin smiled as he left the pool. After Rin left, I changed out of my swimsuit and planned on calling Yukari as soon as I got up to my room. 

The Matsuokas were just putting on their shoes when I came out of the pool to say my goodbyes. My mom asked Koji to help her clear the table and didn’t ask what happened while we were away. I planned on telling her, but not when Koji was around. I didn’t need him ruining my night. Yukari was going to flip out as soon as I told her, and right now, I really needed to tell someone. 

When I got to my room, I went to my phone and dialed Yukari’s number. It only took a few rings before she picked up.   


“Hey! How was practice?” Yukari asked.   


“Fine, but I have something I need to tell you.”   


“What happened?”   


“I had dinner with the Matsuokas, and Koji ended up showing up. After my dad left for a business call, I went to the pool with Kou so I could practice. Then Rin came in wanting to race me. He went easy on me, so I yelled at him and told him I was angry he broke our promise. Apparently, he never got that letter, and then he kissed me.”    


“No. Fucking. Way!” Yukari squealed.   


“Yeah.”   


“Did you guys say anything to each other? Like, where does this leave you two?” she asked.   


“No idea. Kou came to tell him that they were leaving, so we really couldn’t talk. I think I should be focusing on winning regionals before thinking about this thing with Rin.”   


“I don’t know how you're going to do it. If I were you, I would have texted him right away. It would drive me nuts!” Yukari laughed.   


I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for the confidence.”   


“Just do me one favor: don’t think about regionals tonight. Think about what happened with Rin and enjoy it.”    


“Sure, just for you. Goodnight, Yukari.” I chuckled before I hung up. 

I changed into my pajamas before I got into bed. I kept replaying what happened with Rin just hours before in my head. I couldn’t believe he kissed me. It must have meant something, right? Even though I wanted to ask him what the kiss meant to him, I knew that we should both be focusing on regionals. 

With that thought in mind, I tried to drift off to sleep.


	18. Chapter 17

It had almost been a week since Rin kissed me. Sometimes at night, I would lie awake, replaying the events in my head. I wondered if Rin really had feelings for me. Yukari thought it was obvious, but I still wasn’t sure.

I called Yukari as soon as I finished my homework. Maybe chatting with her would make me tired enough to fall asleep instead of wondering about the what-ifs all night.   
  


“What are you doing tomorrow night?” Yukari asked.   


“Probably hanging out at home like usual.” I turned over onto my stomach, trying to find a more comfortable position on my bedsheets.   


“Wrong. You’re going to the Hachiman festival with me tomorrow.” I could tell that Yukari was smiling.   


I rubbed my eyes. “That’s tomorrow? I totally forgot about it.”   


“So does that mean you’ll go?”   


“Yeah, text me the details tomorrow.” I yawned.   


“I will! Make sure you get enough sleep. I don’t need you yawning the entire time.”    


“I’ll try. Goodnight, Yukari.” I hung up.

I put my phone on my nightstand while I put on my pajamas Yukari and I had so much fun last year. We broke up with our ex just before, and Yukari thought it would be a great way for us to bond. Last year I didn’t wear a kimono, but this year was going to be different. As soon as I got into bed, my body relaxed, but only for a second as my thoughts went straight back to Rin. I wanted to know what he was thinking. We didn’t have each other's numbers, so there was no way for us to talk about it. Rin could have easily gotten my number from Kou, but wouldn’t that be weird? 

.oOo.

The next day at lunch, Yukari texted me all the details about our meet-up. I zoned out for whatever speech Nagisa was making at the moment. Knowing him, it had to be something stupid.    


“Riku-chan will have my back!” Nagisa said, grabbing my attention.   


“Sorry, what did you say?”   


“Come on, Riku-chan! Who’s so important that you’re ignoring your friends?” Nagisa whined, headbutting my arm.   


“Yukari was sending me some details about tonight.”   


“Do you mean the Hachimon Festival? Are you two going?” Nagisa leaned in until our faces were only inches away. His eyes were sparkling.   


“Yeah,” I said, shifting away from him.   


“We should go as a team!” Nagisa grinned.   


“It’s been years since all of us have gone together.” Makoto smiled at the thought. He was right, but we would still have to convince Haru. He left school before lunch, so we’d have to go to his house and drag him with us.   


“Don’t they have a shrine for a water deity? You have to get Haru to go so we can all pray together, otherwise there’s no point,” Rei said.   


“You think we could convince Haru?” I looked at Makoto.   


“I’m sure we could.” Makoto nodded.   


“I’ll meet up with you guys at Haru’s. Yukari’s planning on meeting me there anyway.”

I looked down at my phone to give Yukari a heads up.   


**Me: The swim team is going to go to the festival so we can pay a visit to the water deity’s shrine. I’ll meet up with you after :)**

**_Yukari: I’ll text you when I get there. Maybe we can watch the fireworks together after._ ** **_  
_ **

**Me: We’ll see. I’d like to spend some time playing games with you.** **  
**

**_Yukari: Duh! See you later :)_ **

Nagisa started to daydream about all the food they would have there. Just thinking about it made my mouth water. It was making me even more excited that I’d be going with all of my friends. 

.oOo.

As soon as I arrived home, my step-mom called me to her room. When I entered, she was holding a beautiful pink kimono with cherry blossoms on it.    
  


“This was mine when I was your age. I wanted to give it to you.” She gestured to the clothing.   


“What about Kaori?” I asked. Something like this should be passed down to my sister instead.   


“She doesn’t need a new kimono, and this isn’t really her style,” she laughed.   


“Thank you so much.” I hugged her.

“I’ve been wanting to give this to you for a while now. It was just never the right time. I’ll help you put it on.” My mom gave it to me for me to change into. She helped me tie the obi that almost matched my icy blue hair. As she was pinning my hair up, I finally told her what happened with Rin.   


“So when we had dinner with the Matsuokas, Rin and I raced in the pool. After that, he found out I sent a letter to him confessing my feelings, but he never got it. And then… he kissed me.” I bit my lip, looking at the ground as I waited for her response.   


“I’d figured as much. Kou mentioned a couple things.”    


“What did she say?”   


“That you two might confess to each other. She mentioned Rin blushing when he came home during your photoshoot. I didn’t want to pry because I knew you would overthink it.” My mom finished pinning my hair and brought me over to the full-length mirror.   


“I would have told you that night if Koji hadn’t shown up.” I looked at her through the mirror.   


“Of course. Just go with the flow and don’t let it affect you too much. You have to be ready for regionals.” She brushed her hands over my shoulders, smoothing out the silky fabric. What do you think?” She asked.

I looked myself over in the mirror, it was breathtaking.    


“I look beautiful.” I breathed out.   


“You always look beautiful. I’ll drive you to Makoto’s.” My mom hugged me from behind. I followed as she left her room to get the keys. When we got in the car, she gave me some extra spending money for the games. 

.oOo.

Just as my mom dropped me off Nagisa had just started walking up the stairs to Makoto’s house.    


“Nagisa, wait up!” I called.

Nagisa turned to look at me, and his eyes lit up. “You look so good, Riku-chan!”    


“Thanks, Nagisa. So do you.” I beamed as I walked up to the stairs and rang the bell. Makoto, Ren, and Ran all came to the door. When Ren and Ran came out, they nearly tackled me to the ground again.   


“You look so pretty, Riku!” Ran said with a giggle.

I smiled at the comment. Ran had always been such a sweet little girl.   


“We asked Makoto if we could come, but he said no!” Ren pouted.   


“I’m sure he would love for you guys to come with us, but we have to pray as a team at the water deity shrine. But I’ll make sure to bring you guys some candy apples.” I patted both their heads.   


“You promise?” they asked in unison.   


“Promise.” I crossed my heart.

Ren and Ran both hugged Nagisa before going back inside.   


“You look nice, Riku.” Makoto smiled.   


“Thanks! My mom said I could have her old kimono.” I looked down at the pink fabric.

After that, the three of us ran over to Haru’s house. Nagisa was the one to ring the doorbell this time. Haru opened the door and looked atus, confused.   


“There’s a festival tonight, and you should join us,” I told him.   


“A festival?”   


“Yeah, it’s the annual Hachimon Festival. Come on, Haru, let’s go. I promise we’ll have tons of fun.” Nagisa smiled.   


“I’m, uh…” Haru looked off to the side.   


“Cool thing is they have a shrine for this water deity. Couldn’t hurt to pay a visit before regionals. If that’s okay with you,” Makoto said.   


“Rei’s waiting, and he’s not gonna be happy if we show up without you. ‘The five of us have to pray together, otherwise there’s no point.’ Those are his words,” Nagisa said, pretending to push invisible glasses up the bridge of his nose.

I chuckled at Nagisa’s acting. It was pretty spot-on.    


“Nice Rei impression,” Makoto laughed.   


“Okay then. I’ll get dressed,” Haru agreed before disappearing into his house. 

Haru didn’t take long to change, and so the four of us were off to meet Rei. Yukari still wasn’t at the festival, so I had some time to spend with the guys. Nagisa talked Haru’s ear off about all the food he wanted to try once we got there. The walk to the festival wasn’t very far. Nagisa led the way through the crowd to where Rei was waiting.   


“Sorry, we’re late,” Nagisa said.   


“It’s fine. I just got here myself, actually,” Rei replied, adjusting his glasses.   


“Nice save there, Rei. Just so you guys know, that’s what you're supposed to say when you arrive early for a date.” Nagisa looked at the boys.   


“I can’t see anyone arriving  _ that _ early for a date.” I crossed my arms.   


“At any rate, let’s go see the shrine,” Makoto interjected.

We all nodded in agreement before walking to the shrine. 

Once we paid our respects, we headed back to the food stalls. Nagisa was looking at everything, eyes glimmering. Rei made a few squid puns, and I couldn’t help but smile at their cheesiness.

Then I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, and I pulled it out.   


**_Yukari: I’m almost there! Get some food for us and meet me by the shooting games :)_ ** **_  
_ **

**Me: Alright!**

“I’m going to go get something for me and Yukari. I’ll meet up with you guys later.” I gestured to my phone.

“You’re going so soon, Riku-chan?” Nagisa whined.   


“I  _ did _ make plans with her before we decided to come as a swim team. I’ll text you after I’m done spending time with Yukari. She’ll probably want to say hi anyway.”   


“Tell Yukari we say hi,” Makoto said.

I nodded before going off to the food stalls. I got us some squid tempura, as well as some candy apples for the twins. I decided to eat my squid tempura on the way over to the shooting games.

As I neared the shooting games, I could see Yukari searching the crowd. When she saw me, she started waving. I rushed over and gave her the squid tempura before hugging her.   


“You look beautiful! Where did you get this kimono?” Yukari gestured to it. Her face was bright.   


“My mom gave it to me. It was hers when she was younger.”    


“That’s so sweet! What do you think of my outfit? I just finished sewing the skirt this afternoon.” Yukari twirled around, showing off her clothing.. She was wearing a cropped, light-pink cardigan, a floral, pleated mini-skirt and black sandals.   


“It’s gorgeous! You always make amazing clothes.”   


“Aww, you’re gonna make me blush.” Yukari giggled before taking a bite of her tempura.

I was looking at the shooting games and some of the prizes. “I’ll hold your food while you play.” Yukari held out her hand for the candy apples.   


“I got Makoto’s siblings candy apples since they couldn’t come tonight.” I told her when I saw the confused look on her face as she peered into the bag. She nodded as I went up to pay the man. Yukari stood next to me and cheered me on between shots. I was doing well until someone bumped into me, making me miss the shot.   


“Hey, you should watch where you’re going,” I told the stranger before I turned around to look at them. Just as I did, I recognized who it was just by the color of their hair: Rin Matsuoka. As soon as he saw me, his face softened.   


“Hey, Rin.” I gave him a shy wave. This was my first time seeing him since the kiss, and I was nervous.   


“Hey, Riku, you look beautiful,” he said. His cheeks were slightly flushed.

“Thank you.” I looked down at my hands, blushing.   


“It’s nice to see you, Matsuoka. I’m Yukari Kinoshita, Riku’s best friend,” Yukari said. She waved at Nitori, who was standing next to Rin.   


“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Aiichiro Nitori.” He gave her a bow.    


Rin ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry for bumping into you.”   


“You could make it up to her by winning her a prize,” Yukari interjected. 

I looked back at her and glared.

Yukari only gave me an innocent shrug,    


“Sure,” Rin said.   


“Hey, Nitori, do you know where I can find candy apples? The ones Riku got for her mom look really good,” Yukari asked. I was thankful that she lied about who the candy apples were for.    


“Oh, I think it’s over there.” Nitori pointed to the food stalls.   


“I’m  _ terrible _ with directions. Why don’t you show me?” Yukari lied before taking Nitori’s arm. Now it was just me and Rin. I watched him silently as he concentrated on the game.    


“How’ve you been?” I asked, trying to make conversation.   


“Good. You?”    


“Good.” I watched as Rin won the game.    


“Which one do you want?” he asked me.

I scanned the prizes closely. The stuffed squids looked awfully cute but there was one that I thought was even cuter. It was a stuffed shark. I pointed to it, and the stall attendant handed it to me.   


“Thank you, Rin.” I grinned as I held the shark in my arms. The two of us stood there for a moment before a few kids came over, wanting to play. They reminded me of me and Rin when we were younger.

Rin moved off to the side, and I followed him.; “I didn’t expect to see you here tonight,” I said.    


“Captain Mikoshiba thought it would be a good idea to come and pray to the water deity. Is it just you and Yukari?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Rin didn’t need to know the others were here, and I didn’t want to spoil the time I had alone with him. I was looking off into the crowd when I noticed the last person I wanted to see, Natsue—the drama club president. It looked like she was passing out fliers for something, and I heard through one of the members that she was going to ask me to join again since swim season was ending. I had avoided her successfully at school, but if she saw me here, she would give me her entire speech about why I should rejoin.    
  


“Rin, hide me,” I said as I concealed myself behind his back.   
  


“Why?” He started to turn around but I stopped him.   
  


“You see that girl handing out the fliers? That’s the drama club president, and she’s been trying to get me to come back ever since I quit.” I explained to him.   
  


“Why’d you quit?” he asked. I peered around him to see that Natsue was walking in our direction, but it didn’t look like she had seen me yet.   
  


“I met my ex-boyfriend in the drama club. I left when I broke up with him.”

“Why did you break up?”   
  


“I found out he was cheating on me with Yukari after accusing  _ me _ of cheating. When Yukari found out, she called me, and we both broke up with him. She was the only good thing to come out of that relationship.”   


“Does he still go to Iwatobi?”    


“No, he graduated last year.” I looked up at the back of Rin’s head. Was he jealous of my ex-boyfriend? Rin turned around to look at me. I looked behind him to see that Natsue had disappeared. “If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be jealous of him. He never won me a stuffed animal from a shooting game.” I smirked.   


“I’m not jealous.” He looked away.    


“Mhmm,” I hummed before looking off to see the fireworks in the sky. When I glanced back at Rin, he was looking down at me again.    


“Ever since you kissed me last week, I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. It made me realize that my feelings for you never went away. I know we both need to focus on regionals, but I wanted to at least get that off my chest.” I confessed.

Rin brought a hand up to my cheek as he stared down at me. “I have feelings for you too.”

I smiled up at the maroon haired boy, but I could tell something else was bothering him. Rin started leaning to kiss me as the fireworks went off. It was very romantic—almost like a scene in one of those cheesy movies.    


“Matsuoka, sorry we took so long!” Nitori’s voice pulled me out of my reverie, and it seemed Rin had done the same. He backed away.

I sighed. I looked behind Rin to see Nitori and Yukari walking towards us. Yukari had an apologetic look on her face as they came closer. I knew she was trying to prevent the two of them returning so soon.    


“I bought an extra candy apple if you want to have it.” Yukari held it out to me.    


“Thanks!” I smiled at her.. My eyes then went back to Rin as he now listened to Nitori re-tell him what had happened on his little excursion.   


“Also, thank you for winning me the stuffed shark.” I gestured to the plush.   


“You’re welcome.” Rin smiled as he looked down at the shark. The main reason why I chose the shark was to remind myself of Rin and the time we spent at the festival tonight. He did have shark-like teeth, after all.    


“Can you put your number in my phone?” I asked as I held it out to him. Rin smiled before giving me his phone so I could do the same. I doubted that I’d see Rin before regionals, so it would be nice to have his number. Plus, it would be awkward if I had to ask Kou.

“I’ll see you at regionals. Maybe we can pick up where we left off?”   


“Yeah, we can.” He nodded.

“Bye, Rin.”   
  


“Bye, Riku.”

“It was nice seeing you again, Matsouka, and nice meeting you, Nitori! See you guys at regionals.” Yukari gave them a cheery grin before leading me away from them. I already knew she was excited to hear all the details of the night. I also sent a text to the guys asking where they were so we could meet up. Once I got an answer, Yukari and I went to find them.

I wonder what crazy things would happen next.   



	19. Chapter 18

As we neared the stairs to the hilltop, Rei and Nagisa came into view, and Haru’s voice rang in the distance.

“I didn’t care about anything at that point. Not the tournament. Not freestyle. Nothing. Then I watched you guys swim and I thought about how hard we trained for this. I couldn’t let you down. I couldn’t walk away from everything we worked for. I thought if these guys really want to swim together in the relay, then count me in. And suddenly I remembered. I remembered how it felt to swim in the same lane as my friends; how it felt when everyone was waiting for me at the finish line. I was happy. I was so happy, just like you.” Haru turned to look at Makoto, unaware of his onlookers.

“That’s great!” I squealed, grinning.

“Haru, did you say what I think you just said?” Nagisa brought the boys’ attention to us.

“How long have you guys been standing there?” Makoto asked.

“Long enough to be invested in the topic of conversation,” Rei answered.

“Nagisa, Rei, Makoto, I want to swim with you guys in the relay. I want to do this together, one more time.”

“Yes!” The three boys said in unison. 

Haru’s eyes caught my own, then flicked downward, fixing on the stuffed shark.

“I wasn’t expecting to see Rin tonight, and I didn’t want to tell you because of what happened at regionals. You’re one of my best friends, and I didn’t want you to feel betrayed because I have feelings for him. I have since we were kids, and I understand if you hate me for keeping it a secret—or if you never want to talk to me again.” I stared at him, afraid of his reaction. 

Haru closed his eyes as he smiled, “I don’t hate you, Riku. What’s going on between Rin and I has nothing to do with our friendship or your relationship with him.”

I was relieved that Haru didn’t care. It would’ve been something I had to tell everyone eventually, but I wanted to wait. Whatever was going on between them wasn’t good, and I didn’t want Haru to think I was picking sides. 

“We already knew you liked him when we were kids. It was obvious,” Nagisa chimed in.

“No, it wasn’t!” My cheeks were starting to burn.

“Yes, it was! And it was pretty clear you still liked him.” Nagisa tapped his forefinger to his chin.

“You didn’t even know she had feelings for him until a week ago,” Yukari said. 

I whipped my head around to look at her. “You told him?”

“Yeah. I asked him about how you two acted when you were kids. He asked why, and I told him that you liked him.” She shrugged.

“Enough, you two,” Makoto laughed. “If we want to make it to nationals, we need to train harder.” 

“We should start tomorrow!” Nagisa pumped his fist into the air.

“Then we should go home and get some sleep,” Makoto said, starting to walk off.

“Wait, there’s one more thing,” Haru interjected.

Yukari said her goodbyes before we followed Haru. He led us to one of the game stalls. I didn’t notice what the prizes were until Haru started playing. They were goldfish. I smiled at the thought of giving them to Makoto. 

And Haru did just that, handing the five goldfish he had won to his friend.

Makoto spared another glance at Haru. “Are you sure you want me to take care of them?” 

“Yeah.” Haru nodded. 

Nagisa got closer to the bag to examine the fish. “You do have great paternal instincts.”

Makoto smiled. “I’ll do my best.” 

“You should give them all names. They are yours, after all.” I looked at Makoto.

“I have to name them?” 

“Personally, I like Haru, Makoto, Rei, Riku, and Nagisa,” Nagisa said, pointing to each of the fish.

“Won’t that get confusing?” Rei asked, pushing up his glasses.

“Go with sea fish names,” Haru suggested.

“What?” Makoto asked as we started laughing. 

The five of us walked to the station where we parted ways. Haru and Makoto walked me back home since it was starting to get late. 

I gave Makoto the candy apples for Ren and Ran as we reached my door. My step-mom was waiting for me, and I told her everything that happened. She was happy I knew where I stood with Rin.

After that, I went off to bed. I needed to get my rest if we were going to start training harder for regionals.

.oOo.

Makoto, Haru, Nagisa, Rei, and I were all stretching at the pool. Kou hadn’t arrived yet, and I thought it was weird at first. Usually, she was here by now. Maybe something happened.

“Big news, everyone!” Kou ran up to the deck, out of breath.

We all stopped to look at her.   


“What is it?” I asked.   


“My brother just announced that he’s swimming the medley relay at regionals!”   


“What?” Makoto, Rei, and Nagisa said in unison.

I stared at Kou, shocked but happy that Rin would be swimming in the relay. He’d be able to swim with his friends again, and now the boys had to work extra hard. 

The five of us started our warm-up laps before Coach Sasabe arrived. He finally agreed to coach us, but I wasn’t prepared for how hard he was going to push us. 

“You call that a butterfly, Riku?!” Sasabe yelled as I finished my lap. I was swimming against Rei as the boys practiced for the relay. He then yelled at Rei for not touching the wall.   


“I’m glad Coach Sasabe agreed to teach us, but sometimes I feel like he’s trying to kill us instead,” Nagisa sighed.   


“I now know why people call him Goro the Demon,” Makoto groaned.   


“My muscles are going to be so sore tomorrow.” I winced at the thought—I had gotten out of the pool to take a break.

Coach Sasabe wasn’t impressed with the boys’ swimming, so he and Kou went to grab equipment. Three cameras would record our strokes so we could see what we were doing from multiple angles. It was a great help, and I felt like I improved a bit; although I probably had a long way to go if I wanted to make it to nationals. 

Before we left practice, Coach Sasabe mentioned something about cooking dinner for the team this weekend. It would be fun for us to share a meal.

Nagisa started listing off the things that we should bring, but Coach Sasabetold Nagisa he would take care of it. 

I was going to bring sparklers for us to light. It’s something we did every summer when we were kids. Haru, Makoto, and I would get together and light them with Ren and Ran, but it never felt the same without Rin.

.oOo.

My mom drove me, Haru, and Makoto to Coach Sasabe’s house. We’d walk back together. Makoto assured my mom that they’d make sure I got home safely. 

What we weren’t expecting, however, was our meal to be hot pot. I love hot pots, but summer wasn’t the ideal time, nor had the ideal weather. Sasabe turned a fan on, but it hardly saved us from the heat. I put my hair up in a messy bun and took off my sweatshirt, but it was still hot. Coach Sasabe’s reasoning was the latest research in sports medicine. Apparently, hot pot was perfect for a swimmer’s diet.

“Can you  _ please _ turn on the air conditioning? I’m dying,” Nagisa whined.   


“Sorry, no A.C,” Sasabe said.

How he wasn’t sweating amazed me.    


“Riku-chan, do you have a hair tie?” Nagisa rested his head on my shoulder.    


“Nagisa, it’s too hot for that.” I grimaced at the added heat from Nagisa’s head. He was lucky I had an extra. I took it off my wrist and gave it to him. Then Sasabe handed me a bowl of food. 

The hot pot was delicious despite the heat. After we finished our dinner, I brought out the sparklers as Kou cut up the watermelon.   


“It finally caught!” Nagisa grinned before he started chasing after Rei.   


“Stop chasing me around with that thing,” Rei said as he ran away.    


“I’m so glad we can do this together again,” I said as I wrote my name in the air with the sparkler   


“Coach Sasabe, you have so many pictures!” Kou called from the other room.   


“Pictures?”    


“Bring them out here so we can see,” Makoto called back.

As Kou ran into the room. Sasabe and Amakata-sensei started stuttering.   


“It’s the swim club’s photo album.” Kou ignored the two and came straight over to us. We all crowded around the photo album as we looked through the pictures.   


“Hey, Gou! This was when we had that barbeque behind the club.” Nagisa pointed to the picture.   


“Nobody told me about a barbecue,” Kou said.   


“This was before Rin transferred to our club.” Nagisa looked at Kou.   


“Nanase looks so serious.” Amakata-sensei pointed out.   


Sasabe rolled his eyes. “It wouldn’t hurt you to smile once in a while, Nanase,”   


“Well, you might not know it, but Haru’s always smiling on the inside,” Nagisa said.

“Look at this one. Even back then, Haru won all the time,” I laughed.   


“Hey, is that my brother back there?” Kou pointed.   


“Yeah, but we didn’t know him yet. We didn’t really meet until he transferred,” Haru answered.   


“It’s so weird. Rin was a big part of our lives even before we met him!”   


“That kind of stuff makes me think you guys were meant to be.” Amakata-sensei smiled.   


“Are you supposed to say ‘meant to be’ when you're talking about a bunch of guys and a girl?” Kou asked.    


“Out of all of us, the only ones who are meant to be are Riku-chan and Rin-chan,” Nagisa smirked.   


“Nagisa!” I said, shocked, as my face flushed again.   


“You and Rin were inseparable. I always thought the two of you liked each other.” Coach Sasabe rubbed his chin. 

Thankfully, Makoto directed the group to a different photo. I was happy that we were talking about the day we built snowmen together rather than my relationship with Rin.

.oOo.

The five of us started walking and talking about the night. Nagisa asked when my date with Rin would be. I knew he was teasing me on purpose.   


“You two are always going at it,” Makoto sighed, then turned back to Rei. “What did you think of the hot pot, Rei?”

When I looked over my shoulder, Rei had stopped walking.   


“Is everything okay?” Makoto asked.

“What happened between the five of you? Why won’t you explain?”    


“The five of us? Are you talking about Rin?” Nagisa asked.   


“You were all so close. I can see it in every picture… you looked so happy back then.”

“We were,” Makoto said.    


“Rei, I don’t see the point in digging up the past. But, if you really think it’s so important, I can tell you everything,” Haru said.

“I have to know what happened. I can’t go on feeling like an outsider. You’ve got to start treating me like a part of the team,” Rei said.

I frowned as Rei finished his sentence. I didn’t realize Rei had been feeling this way.   


“You’re right,” I said.

“Okay then.” Haru nodded. 

The five of us hopped over the wall that separated the sidewalk from the rocky beach. Nagisa and I chose to sit on a rock, while Makoto leaned against one. Then Haru explained why Rin was obsessed with relays.   


“Things were never the same after that. Riku-chan and Mako-chan, you felt it too, right?” Nagisa asked.   


“Sure did,” Makoto answered.

I nodded in agreement.   


“You met when you were young, and you all got along so well because you loved swimming. You trained really hard and won first place. That doesn’t explain why your relationship is so different now.” Rei looked at us for an answer.    


“During the first winter break of middle school, I bumped into Rin while he was visiting from Australia. He asked if I wanted to race him. But I beat him, and he said he was going to quit swimming. I felt guilty I was the reason why he stopped,” Haru explained.

I never knew something like this happened between them. Was that why Rin hit a wall in Australia? This definitely explained why Haru quit the swim club so suddenly. Our old teammates were upset, and Haru never told them why.   


“Wow, how come you never told us about this?” Nagisa asked.   


“I couldn’t bring myself to talk about it at the time.” Haru was staring down at the sand.   


“That’s why you quit the swim club when we were in middle school,” I said.   


“Haru had to stop swimming competitively because he blamed himself for what happened to Rin,” Makoto explained.

“But you won your race the other day. Does that mean you can finally put this behind you? You're free from that now. You can swim any way you want, and so can he! Why be upset about losing? And why’d he suddenly decide to enter the relay? No matter how hard I try, I still don’t understand it,” Rei said.   


“Rei, it’s alright,” Nagisa reassured him. 

Haru lips pulled into a small smile.   


“Haru?” I asked.   


“I don’t think it makes any sense either. You’re right. I wish I had a better answer. All I can say is that I look forward to racing him. I always do,” Haru said as he peered into the night sky.   


“It’s getting late; we should start heading back,” I said.

The five of us walked off the beach and continued on our way home. Makoto, Haru, and I said our goodbyes before Nagisa and Rei headed to the train station. My step-mom was waiting up for me in the kitchen. I explained how I felt bad that Rei felt like an outsider. It never occurred to me that he was feeling like that. 

Mom reassured me that I didn’t do anything wrong and that it was normal for him to feel like that because he was a new member. Rei was a part of this team, and that wouldn’t change, no matter what. 


	20. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is almost done! I do plan on following the second season because I have some plans that involve Souske ;).

The next day at practice, Rei hadn’t shown up. It was the first time he’d missed practice, and we were all worried. Apparently, Nagisa had given him some spoiled strawberry ice cream that upset his stomach. But that was a bit strange too because he wasn’t one for sweets.

Yukari showed up at practice to cheer us on. Coach Sasabe worked us to the bone, and by the time practice was over, I was relieved. Coach gave us some money to buy Rei something to cheer him up. Yukari came along because she was concerned for our teammate as well.

“I have the perfect idea for when you guys come to Tokyo.” Yukari started.

I already had an idea of where she was going with this.   


“What is it?” Makoto asked.   


“I can be your tour guide! I’m perfect for it since I live there, and you can totally sleep over at my place, Riku!”   


“That would be so much fun! Can we all sleep over?” Nagisa asked.   


“I don’t think Yukari has room for all of us,” Makoto laughed.   


“It would save the club money if I stayed with Yukari rather than getting a hotel room for myself. Our budget will hopefully be bigger next year, so I’ll be able to stay at the hotel with you guys,” I said, looking over at Nagisa.   


“Aww, I really wanted to see Yukari’s apartment,” Nagisa sighed.   


“You guys can come over to celebrate when you guys win and go to nationals!” Yukari grinned. 

“Yay! That makes me even more determined to win!” Nagisa cheered as the train reached the station.

We headed to the shops near Rei’s house tofind something for him. Nagisa pointed to a shop that had melons in the window.   


“How about we get him a melon?” he asked.   


“Coach only gave us 1,000 yen though,” Makoto sighed.   


“Then how about strawberries?” he tried.. 

I raised my eyebrows. Nagisa needed some tact.   


“I thought strawberry ice cream made him sick,” Haru said.   


Nagisa laughed, “Right, I forgot about that. Bananas, maybe?”   


“How could you forget? It’s only been a few hours since you said something.” I crossed my arms.

“I’m so worried about Rei that I forgot.” Nagisa rubbed the back of his neck.   


“Are you sure it was something he ate? I have a feeling he skipped practice because of what I said yesterday,” Haru said.

Yukar glanced at me then. I hadn’t told her about the talk we had with Rei yesterday. I quietly told her what happened as Nagisa had told Haru how Rei went to see Rin. 

Then we went into a nearby store to get some melon bread. Yukari said she would split one with me since she wasn’t too hungry. After our purchase, Nagisa led us to Rei’s house.

The entire way there, Yukari and Nagisa were talking about things we could do as a team once we reached Tokyo. Makoto had to reel back their expectations a bit since we wouldn’t have time for much.

Once we arrived at Rei’s apartment, Nagisa rang the bell. It was a few minutes before Rei opened the door; he was surprised that all of us were here. We took off our shoes before Rei led us to his bedroom. 

Nagisa collapsed on Rei’s bed as soon as we entered. That boy was always the type to make himself comfortable wherever he was.

“Why are you all here? Is something wrong?” Rei asked, puzzled.   


“Coach Sasabe sent us to check on you. We even brought you a get-well gift.” Makoto held up the plastic bag.   


“But I wasn’t—”

“Hey! If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were in excellent shape! Gou and Ms. A were starting to get worried about you too. Sasabe said ‘tell him that he should be taking better care of himself before a tournament.’” Nagisa interrupted Rei   


“Everyone was really worried about me?” Rei asked, surprised.

“Of course we were worried,” Haru said.   


“It’s hard not to worry since you never miss practice. We want to make sure our teammate is okay. Now, if it were Nagisa…” I trailed off   


“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nagisa whined.   


“I’m only joking.” I rolled my eyes. 

Makoto and Yukari let out a chuckle.

The trophies on the shelf had caught our attention before Nagisa had mentioned all the swimming books Rei had.   


“Wow! You’ve read all of these?” Yukari’s eyes were wide.   


“Well, yes. I have to be thorough if I want to construct a proper plan.”   


“Come on, Rei! You’ve gotta stop researching everything. That’s how you jinx yourself!” Nagisa leaned over to tell Rei.   


“So, Rei, is it true that you talked to Rin?” Haru asked.   


“I might have told them everything. Sorry, Rei.” Nagisa looked over to Rei.

“Don’t,” Rei said to him. Then he turned back to Haru. “Yes, it was quite the meeting.”   


“Was it because I told you about our past?”   


“No, not really. I had my own reasons for wanting to talk to him. I needed some answers, but it’s okay now. I’m done worrying.  _ Especially _ for him. It’s not my problem anymore,” Rei explained.   


“Okay then. Guess that means we can focus on the team. Right, Rei?” Haru smiled.   


“You mean I’m a part of it?”   


“Of course, Rei! Where would we be without the style and contribution in brain power?” Makotosaid.   


“He’s right. Every member of this team is irreplaceable. Think you're ready?” Nagisa asked.

“Yes!” Rei smiled.   


“Now that that’s settled, let’s take a food break!” Nagisa threw his hands in the air before he gave us the melon bread.   


“I never realized melon bread was gift material,” Rei said as he inspected the packages.   


“We didn’t have enough money to get a real melon, but don’t worry; these sweet buns are just as tasty. Here, eat up.” Nagisa opened his melon bread and started to give it to Haru.   


“I’m not hungry,” Haru said, but then Nagisa shoved the bread in his mouth.   


“See? Haru likes it!” Nagisa was smiling. 

However, the mood quickly changed as Haru started to cough. Rei went to get water for Haru, but he came back with barley tea. Rei had quickly given it to Haru, saving him from passing out. 

“I don’t want to be rude, but why did you come, Yukari?” Rei asked.    


“I was worried about you. Even though I’m not a member of the team, I still want to make sure you guys are okay. I’m always there for Riku if she needs me, and I want to be there for you guys too,” she smiled.

“Of course you're part of the team! You’re the Iwatobi Swim Club’s cheerleader, fashion designer, and Tokyo tour guide!” Nagisa said.   


Makoto laughed, “Nagisa is right.”   


“Tokyo tour guide?” Rei asked.   


“I’m going to show you around Tokyo when you guys come for regionals. I’ve lived there for almost a year now, so I’d be the best candidate.”   


“At least we won’t get lost.” Rei said.   


“Yukari also said we could celebrate at her apartment when we win at regionals!” Nagisa added.   


Yukari nodded as she checked her watch. “I should probably get going! I have to go home and clean up. I’ll see you guys soon!” Then Yukari gathered her stuff and left. 

Haru, Makoto, Nagisa, and I stayed at Rei’s for a little longer. My step-mom offered to drive us home. Nagisa’s house was on the way, so my mom didn’t mind dropping him off. Even if his house wasn’t, I’m sure she would offer to drop him off anyway. I told her that I’d be staying with Yukari to save some money on the swim team’s budget. She mentioned that my father would have paid for my room at the hotel if I wanted him to. But I’d rather ask him at next year’s regionals, or even if we get to nationals this year.

.oOo.

I had to get up early to take the bus to Tokyo. My mom picked up Haru and Makoto as well. On the ride over to the rest stop, I fell asleep. Makoto told me Nagisa almost drew on my face. I’m glad Makoto stopped him.   
  


“I’m so hungry.” I stretched as we entered the rest stop.

“Let’s get something to eat,” Makoto suggested.

Nagisa skipped over to order food. I wasn’t surprised that he ordered so much or that he finished all of it. 

We still had some time, so we went to look around the gift shop.    
  


“You should get this, Riku-chan!” Nagisa held up a pair of round black sunglasses. I took them from him and tried them on. 

He was right.   


“Those  _ do _ look good on you,” Makoto said.

“Thank you,” I smiled. They weren’t too expensive, so I decided to buy them. 

Nagisa dragged us over to a little panda ornament. “Isn’t it cute?”   


“I guess,” Rei sighed.   


“This is what you were so worked up about?” I crossed my arms.

“Wouldn’t you be? The panda is cute.” Nagisa looked back at me.   


“I’m going back to the bus.” I turned around. 

Nagisa followed close behind me. 

I texted Yukari when we got back on the bus.   


**Me: We should be leaving the rest stop soon. I got a cute pair of sunglasses while we were there.** **  
**

**_Yukari: Oooh! I wanna see! Take a picture and send it to me._ **

I laughed before turning the camera on. Nagisa had immediately gotten in the picture as soon as he saw what I was doing.    


“We should all take a picture together when we get to Tokyo!” Nagisa’s eyes lit up.   


“Why?” Haru asked.   


“Because we’re going to regionals?” Nagisa looked at Haru, unsure of his own answer. 

My phone buzzed, making me shift my attention to Yukari’s message.   


**_Yukari: They look so cute! We should all take a picture when you get to Tokyo. I’ll be heading to the station soon! :)_ **

I shook my head at the fact Yukari had said just what Nagisa had said to us. I swore those two were hanging out way too much. 

**Me: Nagisa just said the same thing… how much do you two hang out without me?** **  
**

**_Yukari: Lol! I’ve probably seen him once or twice without the rest of you. I was mostly updating him on what's been going on between you and Rin._ **

**Me: Of course. See you soon :)**

The rest of us settled in for the rest of the ride. Most of the boys had fallen asleep, butHaru and I were still up. I turned in my seat to look at him; he was staring blankly out the window, watching the sun sink below the horizon.   


“You know, if you told me a year ago that we’d be going to Tokyo for regionals, I wouldn’t have believed you,” I said.   


“Yeah, butyou were right about this year being better than the last,” Haru said. 

My eyes crinkled as I grinned at him. “Thank you for agreeing to start the swim club. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.”   


Makoto shifted beside me. “What are you guys talking about?” he asked with a yawn.   


“This year.”   


“It has been a crazy year,” Makoto agreed. 

Then my phone buzzed, and I looked down to see who was texting me.   
  


**_Mom: Let me know when you guys get there safely! I can’t wait to see you swim tomorrow. Love you!_ **

**Me: I will. Love you too**

I returned my attention back to Makoto and Haru to talk to them for the rest of the bus ride. Eventually, Nagisa and Rei woke up just before we reached the station and joined in on our conversation. Yukari was already waiting on the platform just as the bus pulled in. 

She rushed over, excited to show us to the hotel and around the city. 

.oOo.

Once the boys checked in, we went out to get a bite to eat. Yukari was telling us about one of her classes as we were eating. Once we were done, Yukari suggested that we take a little walk around the area. 

Nagisa stopped to look at the group of boys across the street from us.   


“Did you guys hear that? I bet those guys are gonna be in the tournament tomorrow, Wouldn’t it be crazy if they were in the lane next to us?” Nagisa asked.   


“It’s more likely that they’re just local high school students. Besides, I highly doubt that they swim competitively; their muscles aren’t built for it.   


“Whatever you say, Gou.” Nagisa winked at Rei.   


“I know! Let’s go check out the pool,” Makoto said.    


“It’s not too far from here! Let’s go.” Yukari gestured for us to follow her. As we saw the building in the distance, the boys started to jog. 

I walked with Yukari because I knew that she wasn’t a fan of running.

The pool was roped off when we arrived, which was a little disappointing.   


“Uh… looks like we can’t,” Nagisa said.   


“I guess it is kinda late.”   


“I guess we’re out of luck,” Rei sighed.   


“Not quite. We may still be able to see it,” Haru said before leading us towards the stairs.

Yukari and Makoto were out of breath by the time we reached the top. Climbing up these stairs was worth it—the view of the pool was beautiful. I can’t believe we were actually  _ here _ and were going to swim in that pool tomorrow.    


“Everyone, get together!” Yukari called us over.   


“You should be in the picture too, Yukari-chan,” Nagisa said from his position at my side.   


“I will after I take a picture of you guys.” Yukari smiled as she aimed her phone at us.

“Haru, you should smile,” Yukari said.

“Haru’s always smiling on the inside,” Nagisa told her.

Once we were in our final positions, Yukari took the picture. Then we crowded around her so we could all be in the selfie that she was going to take.

We took a few minutes to admire the pool before heading back. Yukari and I walked the boys to the hotel before going to her place. It had been a while since I’d been to Yukari’s apartment. The only thing that had changed were the number of fashion sketches on her desk. Yukari started showing me a few of her new designs before we got ready for bed. 

As I drifted off to sleep, thoughts of regionals kept swirling in my mind. Who knows whether we’d win or lose, but I guess that’s a question for tomorrow.


	21. Chapter 20

The next morning, Yukari woke me up before my alarm. I wasn’t too happy about it, but she made breakfast. I couldn’t just pass up a free meal. 

Yukari wanted to leave early so we could meet the boys at the hotel rather than the pool. It didn’t take either of us very long to get dressed since we were both wearing our uniforms. 

The hotel wasn’t too far from Yukari’s apartment, so we got there in no time. We had gotten to the hotel just as the guys were walking out of it. 

I texted my mom to tell her we were on our way to the venue. 

It was hard to miss. There were hundreds of swimmers going into the building. 

Haru walked up to the tree we were passing. He stared up at it before writing something in the sand.    


“What on earth is he doing?” Rei asked.

“Hey, that looks like the tree from elementary school!” Nagisa turned to face me and Makoto.    


“Oh yeah! Been a while, huh?” Makoto smiled.

“Haru-chan, Mako-chan, Rin-chan, and Riku-chan got to write on bricks that circled around the tree at their elementary school. Riku-chan wrote love on her brick.” Nagisa looked to Rei.   


“Why are you bringing up my brick?” I glared at Nagisa.   


“Because yours didn’t seem like you at all!”   


“I can see Riku being a little bit of a romantic when you guys were younger,” Yukari added, looking over at Nagisa.   


“We should get going so we can check in.” Makoto, thankfully, changed the subject. 

Haru stood up after he finished writing and joined us. 

When we got inside, I couldn’t see Kou or the others. They had to be around somewhere; maybe if we went into the actual stadium we could find them. I didn’t realize how big the place was when we saw it from above last night. 

Coach Sasabe and Kou found us before Kou’s friend and Amakata-sensei came over to bring us to the seats they saved. Once the ceremony was over, we returned to our seats; my mom got seats close to where Iwatobi was sitting.   


“Hey, you should text Rin good luck!” Yukari said.

“He might not see it since his race is coming up soon,” I said but took out my phone anyway.   


“Yeah, but he’ll see it after. It’ll make him happy to see your text, and maybe he’ll ask you to rendezvous with him after your race.” Yukari nudged me.    


“You’re too much,” I laughed as I looked over the message once more before sending it.

We watched the races and made comments on the different swimmers. Yukari liked to bet on whoever she thought would win. 

Soon it was Rin’s race. I sat forward and grabbed Yukari’s hand. But when the whistle blew, it took Rin an extra fraction of a second to dive into the water.    


“He dove late,” Makoto said.   


“It’s okay, he’s still got the turn.” Haru looked over to him.   


“Go, Rin!” I yelled. 

I was starting to get worried. He was the last one in the race right now. How could that happen? He was an amazing swimmer!   


“Is he okay?” Yukari whispered.   


“I don’t think so.” I looked at her before seeing the results come up. 

I squeezed Yukari’s hand when Rin was having trouble getting out of the pool.  _ Something  _ was wrong. 

Haru was the first to bolt out of his seat. I was the second to get up. Then Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei all chased after us.

It wasn’t hard to find Rin after we heard a yell followed by a crash. We bolted to the sound of the voices. 

Faintly, I could hear Nitori speak before Rin yelled again.   


“I don’t have to do a damn thing! You think any of this matters anymore? It’s obvious that I couldn’t get any better. That’s why I was taken off the relay. I give up. I quit years ago and I should have stayed quit,” Rin yelled before kicking the nearby trash can.

My heart dropped as I watched him walk off. I had never seen Rin like this, and it broke my heart to see him hurting. 

Nitori looked back at us before chasing after Rin. He wouldn’t be swimming in the relay either; there was no way the boys could all swim together.   


“I don’t get it. Why would anyone want to take Rin out of the relay?” Nagisa broke the deafening silence.   


“Here I thought we’d be able to race with him if we made it to the finals,” Makoto said. Makoto turned back to look at Haru. 

He was just standing there stunned at what happened. Haru then slumped against the glass.   


“I’m never going to swim with him again,” Haru muttered.   


“Don’t say that. Riku-chan, the butterfly prelims are going to happen any time now,” Nagisa said.   


“I could care less about my race right now.”    


“But, Riku-chan…” Nagisa trailed off.   


“I have something to say to all of you. I was waiting for a more appropriate time to tell you, but Rin and I had a talk last night. He told me that back in middle school the real reason he wanted to quit swimming had nothing to do with Haru. He hit a wall when training abroad, and it shattered his confidence. He couldn’t take it anymore so he quit. But then he came back home. He raced Haru again, and his whole perspective changed. That spark was rekindled. He told me that after seeing us swim at districts, he recaptured that feeling. The relay appealed to him again. He was determined to swim with Samezuka and give us the best race we’ve ever had,” Rei explained.    


“Wow, I never knew that he felt that way.” Nagisa said.   


Rei continued, “But that isn’t the entire truth. It wasn’t about the competition, per se; he just wanted to swim with his friends again. You’re not just his old teammates, you’re the reason he swims at all.”   


“How do you know?” Haru got up, staring at Rei.   


“Well, because, honestly, I feel the exact same way. For me, you’re it—you guys are why I’m here. And I know deep down it’s the same thing for you. That’s what swimming  _ free _ means. Who cares if we win or lose, right? It’s about  _ who _ you swim with.”

I stood there in silence, feeling like I was about to cry.   


“I want to swim with Rin again.” Nagisa said.

“Rin’s really going to quit if you don’t do something. You guys are the only ones who can help him before it’s too late,” Rei said.   


“But what can we do to change Rin’s mind?” Makoto asked.   


“You still don’t understand? Think logically for once! The answer is staring you in the face.” Rei said, finally raising his voice. 

I could tell he was frustrated we weren’t getting it.   


“But, Rei, are you really okay with that?” Haru asked. 

The lightbulb went off in my head. The boys would get disqualified if they could convince him.    


Rei smiled, “Just make it beautiful.”   


“I need to go get ready. Make sure you tell Rin that I’ll never forgive him for missing my race if he doesn’t say yes,” I grinned. At the same time, my eyes were brimming with tears. 

“Good luck, Riku-chan!” Nagisa smiled. 

I nodded to the boys before running off to grab my bag from the stands. 

Yukari gave me a worried look as I reappeared to grab my bag. I was going to tell her everything as soon as my race was over. 

.oOo.

Just as my race was announced, I arrived on the pool deck. I gave it my all but didn’t qualify for nationals. It was for the best, and it wouldn’t have been the same if my teammates weren’t swimming with me. Hopefully, they could convince Rin; that’s all that mattered right now. When I returned to the stands, Yukari hugged me tight.    


“You were awesome!”   


“Thanks,” I smiled.   


“You did your best, Riku,” Kou said as she approached us.   


“It just means that I’ll have to win at Nationals next year,” I laughed.   


“You're always so optimistic,” Amakata-sensei said. 

Their attention then went back to worrying about the boys because they weren’t back yet.    
  


Yukari looked at me. “Is Rin going to be okay?”   


“He will be.” I smiled as I heard Kou’s sigh of relief.    
  


I looked down at the deck to see Nagisa, Haru, and Makoto checking in. Rei wasn’t with them.

Once the race started, I cheered along with everyone, but I soon stopped, watching in awe. I remember feeling like this when the boys swam the relay in elementary school. From the corner of my eye, I saw Rei join us. 

Rin was on the starting block, waiting for Nagisa to return. 

I grinned as soon as I saw him.

“Did you know about this?” Yukari asked.   


“Yeah.” I smirked before we started cheering Rin on. 

When Haru dove in, I grabbed Yukari’s hand.

They were going to win.

When Haru touched the wall, the audience roared with applause. 

I couldn’t stop the tears from falling as the boys got out of the pool. Watching the boys hug each other made me smile.

Everything was alright.    


“Well done, guys. I asked for something beautiful and that's exactly what I got,” Rei said softly.   


“Just know that I expect us to be at nationals next year.” I nudged Rei. 

He looked down at me and smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”   


“Let’s go congratulate them! Come on!” Yukari grabbed my arm and then Rei’s. 

Yukari dragged me down to the deck where the boys were celebrating. 

Kou urged them to get a picture together. 

Yukari pushed me in the picture because I was a part of the swim team too. 

The judges were heading in our direction. I had a feeling they were going to talk to Amakata-sensei and Coach Sasabe. The Iwatobi Swim Club would probably be disqualified.

The boys went to change while Yukari and I waited for them. As soon as they came out, I was going to give them all the biggest hug they had ever had.

.oOo.

When the boys came out, Rin wasn’t with them. He must have gone to meet up with Samezuka. 

I ran over the boys and pulled them into a group hug. But before long, Amakata-sensei came over to tell us that she needed to talk to us outside. 

“Well, I never. You boys just finished the relay of your lives only to be disqualified.”   


“Yep, definitely an obvious outcome.” Sasabe agreed.

“Well, I most certainly could have done without the judges scolding us, thank you very much. They said that they’ve never heard of a case like this before.”

We all bowed and said that we were sorry as Amakata-sensei finished.

“It’s alright, you’re young. If you're going to pull crazy stunts, now’s the time to do it.”   


“I guess. What were you guys trying to prove?” Sasabe asked.   


“Not a thing. It just needed to be done,” Rei said, looking at us.

“We might be on different teams, but—”

“We’re still teammates.” Makoto finished Nagisa’s sentence.   


“That’s just how it is,” Haru said.   


“Well, I’m thoroughly confused.” Amakata-sensei shook her head with a sigh.    


“There’s something that I need to do before we leave. I’ll be right back,” I said.   


“Tell Rin we say hi,” Nagisa smiled. 

I felt my cheeks heat up before I ran off to find the Samezuka bus. Luckily, I found it just before all of the bags were loaded onto the bus. 

Rin was helping out and didn’t see me run towards him.   


“Rin, can I talk to you real quick?” I called. 

He looked towards me and smiled. Rin then turned to say something to Mikoshiba, who was overseeing the team.    


“Come on guys, let’s give Rin and his girlfriend some space,” he said. 

Rin turned back around with a pink tint to his cheeks. Rin made his way over to me, his face still a little red.    


“You were amazing out there. I’m so happy to have my teammate back,” I said, looking up at him.

“Thank you, Riku. I’m sorry I missed your race,” Rin apologized.   


“You’ll just have to make sure you don’t miss it next year. I’m gonna make it to nationals,” I smiled.    


“I promise.”    


“Pinky promise.” I brought up my pinky finger.    


“Pinky promise,” Rin repeated as he wrapped his pinky around mine.   


“I also want to mention that you’re invited to come with us to the amusement park. My dad got us free tickets since he helped design some of the rides.”    


Rin smiled, “I’d love to.”   


“It’s a date,” I said, standing on my tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I need to get going before I get left behind. I’ll talk to you soon.” I unraveled my pinky from his. 

Rin nodded before I started to walk off. I spared another glance after a few seconds. Rin was still looking at me.. 

My lips twitched upward.

I left Regionals with a lot more than I came with. I got my teammate and best friend back, things were going to go back to the way they used to be, and now I had the hope of swimming with my best friends at Nationals. 


	22. Chapter 21

Since regionals, Rin and I had gone on one date before we made things official. Sometimes on the weekends, the Iwatobi boys would come over to swim, and I’d invite Rin. We also made plans to have joint practices. Today we would be having one at Iwatobi.

At the end of the day, Haru, Makoto, and I met up with Rei and Nagisa. I couldn’t help but notice that Nagisa had a certain look in his eye.   


“Since Rin is coming here, we should have him pretend like he’s transferring to Iwatobi!”   


“That could be fun,” Makoto agreed.   


“Riku-chan, you have to lure Rin into the classroom!”   


“You can’t just ask him to come with you?” I crossed my arms.   


“Because he won’t say no to you. Please, Riku.” Nagisa whined, grabbing my arm.    


“Fine. Just text me the room number,” I sighed before going off to meet Rin. 

At least I could get a few moments alone with him without having Nagisa tease me or saying something to make me flustered. 

As I was making my way through the halls, I saw Natsue hanging some posters for the next production. She finally left me alone after regionals, so it was refreshing that I didn’t have to hide from he. 

When I reached the entrance, Rin was just walking up to it.    


“Hey, Riku,” Rin gave me a warm smile as I approached him.   


“Hey, Rin,” I said before kissing him on the cheek.   


“The Samezuka team should be arriving soon. Are the guys waiting for us?” Rin asked.   


“Yeah, something like that.” I took Rin’s hand. 

My phone buzzed—it was Nagisa. I lead Rin to the nearby classroom. When we entered, the boys were spread out around the room, sitting at different desks. Rin’s name was already written on the blackboard.    


“What’s this?” Rin asked.   


“We want you to introduce yourself like you're transferring to Iwatobi!” Nagisa said.

“I’m curious as to how you’d do it,” Rei said, pushing up his glasses. 

I looked up at Rin, who didn’t look amused at the suggestion. 

“Please, Rin-chan!” Nagisa flashed him his best puppy dog eyes. 

“Fine.”

I took my seat in the front, excited to see what he’d come up with.

Rin walked up to the podium with a sigh. 

I had a feeling that it wasn’t going to be as energetic as it was when we were kids.

“Hey, everybody, I’m Rin Matsuoka. I’ve just transferred from Samezuka Academy. I know my name sounds girly, but I’m a guy. So, anyway—” 

“Something about this seems a little off,” Nagisa interrupted.

“Zero points. More effort please,” Rei added.

“Yeah, I don’t know, you used to be more…” Makoto gestured to the air.

“Charming?” Nagisa said.

Makoto smiled, “Yeah, that’s the word!” 

“Riku-chan, you need to help Rin-chan be more charming!” Nagisa leaned over his desk as he looked at me. 

“Shuddup, guys! You're the ones putting me up to whatever the hell this is,” Rin said, annoyed. 

Then the door to the classroom opened, revealing Kou and Nitori. 

“Hey, what are you guys messing around for?” Kou asked, hands on her hips. “Our joint training session is going to start in a few minutes.”

“Rin, you’re too old to be playing around like this.” Kou looked to her older brother.

“They’re the ones who are… nevermind.” Rin rubbed the back of his neck.

“Well, we better get going.” Makoto was the first to stand up.

“It’s high time to show those from our joint session that I’m not a rock.” Rei pushed up his glasses.

“Your butterfly better be good, man. It’s gonna take a lot more than fancy smack talk to impress the Samezuka boys,” Rin grinned at him.

“Sounds like you want a race.” Nagisa winked.

“You’ll never beat us. You better bring it!” 

“Don’t go easy on me. I’ve already proven that I can keep up with you guys,” I giggled.

“I’ll race you, Riku-chan,” Nagisa smiled before bolting out of the classroom.

I ran after him, laughing.I didn’t want to wear myself out too much, but at the same time, I wanted to beat Nagisa. 

Nagisa and I ended up tying when we reached the pool. I went into the girls’ locker room to change since some of the Samezuka boys were already in their swimsuits. 

Captain Mikoshiba was talking to Kou; I could tell she wanted to get out of that conversation.    


“Kou, I wanted to talk to you about my training regime,” I said as I approached them.   


“What’s wrong with it?” she asked.

“Didn’t you say you made some  _ changes _ ?” I gave her a pointed look.   


Kou’s eyes widened, and she laughed, “That’s right! I  _ totally _ forgot about it. We have a few minutes while the boys get changed. I’ll talk to you later, Mikoshiba.” Kou linked her arm with mine and walked off.   


“He doesn’t know how to take a hint,” I smirked.   


“You think he wouldn’t try so much since Rin’s my brother,” Kou sighed.

“You won’t have to see much more of him since he’s graduating.”    


“That’s true. You think you could convince Yukari to flirt with him or something?” she asked.   


“I think he’s too in love with you to even look at another girl.”   


“What are you guys talking about?” Nagisa came over to join the conversation.    


“Girl stuff,” I answered.    


“Are you guys talking about your boyfriends?” Nagisa asked, knowing that Kou didn’t have a boyfriend.   


“I don’t have a boyfriend!”

“No!” Kou and I said at the same time. 

Our voices got the attention of the boys nearby.

My face flushed at the instant embarrassment. It was no secret I was dating Rin, but I didn’t like talking about our relationship with the guys. I talked about my relationship with Yukari a lot more than Kou; mainly because Kou was his sister, and it would be a little weird. 

Soon the joint practice started, and I couldn’t wait to go against Rin. I’ve wanted to race him again ever since our last match. I knew he went easy on me. But this time, he didn’t hold back. Rin won, but I was so close to beating him. It made me want to improve and beat him next time.

.oOo.

The joint practice ended, and Rin wanted to walk me home. Makoto and Haru were going to walk with us since they were heading in the same direction. 

My phone buzzed, it was my step-mom.    


**_Mom: If Rin wants to stay for dinner tonight, he can. Also, Koji called your father and told him that he planned on coming home this weekend. I just wanted to give you a heads up. :)_ **

I groaned as I read the last sentence. 

The boys stopped their conversation and looked at me.

“What’s wrong?” Rin asked.   


“Koji’s coming home this weekend.” I frowned.   


“Why don’t we get everyone together and go to the amusement park?” Makoto asked.   


“That’s a great idea! I’ll text Yukari and the others. It’ll be  _ so _ much fun! And my mom said you could stay for dinner if you wanted to,” I grinned before texting the others.

“Yeah, I can. Should we all meet at your house before heading to the amusement park?” Rin asked.   


“There’s no reason to have everyone meet at my house. We can meet at the train station,” I said.   


“How about just Haru, Rin, Kou and I come over? If there are a few of us there, Koji may leave you alone,” Makoto suggested.   


“Very unlikely. He’ll find a way to say something, but you guys can still come!” I gave them a wide smile.

“Your brother has gotten worse over the years,” Rin said.   


“I’m just glad he’s away at college most of the time,” I smiled before Haru, and Makoto went in the direction of their houses while Rin and I walked to mine.

Once we got to my house, we went into the kitchen so I could help my mom cook. While I was helping my mom, Rin quizzed me on some English vocabulary that was going to be on my quiz. English and math were my worst subjects, and it was nice of Rin to help me study. The only thing I didn’t like was the fact that he was so serious and wouldn’t let me get distracted. It would pay off in the end because I always got passing grades.

.oOo.

The morning of our trip to the amusement park, Yukari called me to wake me up. She had called me a lot earlier than I set my alarms. 

My step-mom was up making snacks for the trip, and she also made me breakfast as soon as she knew I was awake. 

We didn’t know when Koji would arrive, but I had a feeling he was going to be here before the boys and Kou got here. 

After I ate my breakfast, I went back up to my room to figure out what I wanted to wear. I chose my grey crop top, black and white flannel, shorts, and sneakers. Just as I grabbed my backpack, I heard the front door open.   


“I’m home!” Koji called. 

I groaned. I couldn’t hide in my room until everyone arrived. Koji would probably come upstairs and bother me anyway.    


“Hi, Koji,” my mom said as I left my room. 

“Hey, ma,” Koji said before he noticed me coming down the stairs. “Where are you going?” he asked me.   


“To the amusement park with my friends.” 

Just as I reached the bottom of the stairs, the doorbell rang. 

Thank god. 

My mother went to open the door and greeted Haru, Makoto, Rin, and Kou as they came inside. Then she went into the kitchen to grab the snacks and tickets.   


“Good morning, guys.” I gave them a heartfelt smile. 

Immediately, I noticed how Rin was wearing a red and black flannel—great minds think alike. 

“I heard you guys are dating now.” Koji nodded to Rin. “Riku must be happy since she’s liked you since you were kids.” He turned to look at me. “At least he won’t accuse you of cheating on him with Haru and Makoto. It would really suck because you’d have to quit swimming if you two ever broke up.” 

I glared as Koji spoke. One thing that I  _ hated _ talking about was my ex. Koji knew that.    


“That’s  _ never _ going to happen.” I stared at Koji before going over to my boyfriend. 

Rin’s posture changed at Koji’s last comment. He was pissed. 

Of course, Koji would comment on that while mom was out of the room. If she wasn’t, the comment would’ve been more subtle. 

Haru and Makoto were also glaring at Koji, but just before either of them could say something, my mom returned. 

“Text me when you guys get to the park. Have fun and make sure you put on sunscreen.” She came over to hug me.   


“Thank you, Mrs. Matsumura. Nagisa will be happy,” Makoto smiled as he took the treats. 

I took the tickets and put them in my bag.    


“We should get going so the others aren’t waiting.” I grabbed Rin’s hand and led the group outside.    


“I won’t let you quit the swim club if you and Rin ever break up!” Kou said.    


“Your father just lets him say that stuff to you?” Makoto asked.   


“Koji says it in a way that sounds like he cares for me. If my step-mom was in the room it would have been a more subtle jab,” I sighed.   


“He’s such an ass,” Rin said. 

I hummed in agreement. 

The rest of the way to the train station we made idle chatter. As we approached the station Nagisa spotted us and ran up to us. Rei and Yukari followed behind him.    


“Riku-chan, you and Rin-chan match! Did you do it on purpose so everyone knows you're together?” Nagisa asked.   


“No, it was just a coincidence,” I said.   


“Great minds think alike.” Yukari smiled before coming up to hug me.    


“Are those from Mrs. Matsumura?” Nagisa pointed to the bag in Makoto’s hands.   


“Yes,” Makoto said, handing the bag to Nagisa.   


“Make sure you save room for food at the park,” Rei said. 

The train then pulled into the station, and we boarded it. It was a little packed so some of us had to stand. 

.oOo.

The train ride didn’t feel as long as it did because we were joking and laughing the whole way. Nagisa was the first one off the train, dragging Rei behind him. Luckily, the walk to the amusement park from the station wasn’t very far. 

My father made sure I knew the way there and told me I had to go on the ride he designed. 

As we approached the entrance, I could hear kids laughing and screaming. It looked like there were a few other high schoolers at the front entrance too. 

I handed out the tickets as we got in line—Nagisa was looking over a map of the park on his phone. Then I sent my mom a text telling her that we arrived safely.

“Should we go to the food stalls and see what they have?” Nagisa asked.

“What about going on some rides first? I don’t want to eat and then get an upset stomach.” Yukari made a face. 

She told me earlier that she often gets queasy if she eats before going on a crazy ride.    


“What kind of ride do you want to go on first?” Makoto asked.    


“Oh! I think I found the perfect one!” Nagisa said as we went through the line and entered the park. “Come on!” He led us blindly to the ride he had in mind. 

At least we were going to a ride and not a food stall.

I could tell what ride Nagisa had in mind as we got closer to it. I had no objections, but I knew  _ someone _ wouldn’t like it.   
  


“A haunted house?” Makoto’s face fell as Nagisa stopped in front of the attraction.   


“Yeah! It would be so much fun.”

I looked over to Makoto, who was starting to look a little pale. He always hated anything that had to do with the supernatural.   


“Maybe you should sit this one out, Makoto. We can go on a ride of your choice after,” I suggested. 

“Y-Yeah, that would be fine. I’ll just wait over there.” Makoto pointed to a bench that was far from the haunted house.   


“I’ll come with you,” Haru said.   


“Thanks, Haru,” Makoto smiled. 

The rest of us got in line while Haru and Makoto went to the nearby bench.   


“Makoto doesn’t like haunted houses?” Yukari asked.   


“Yeah, he gets scared easily when it comes to ghosts,” I said.   


“Ever since we were kids,” Rin added.

“I remember the time we camped out in Riku-chan’s backyard and Makoto screamed when Mrs. Mastumura came to bring us food,” Nagisa laughed.   


I sighed, “My mom felt so bad when that happened.” 

I was looking at the rides that I could see from the line. My eyes fell on the Ferris wheel and the changing lights. It must have been so beautiful at night.    


“What are you looking at?” Rin asked.   


“The Ferris wheel. I was just thinking about how beautiful it would look at night.” I pointed to the ride in the distance.   


“How about we sneak off and ride it later?” Rin whispered.   


“I would love that.” I looked up at him, beaming. 

“You think this will be more of a romantic ride for Riku-chan and Rin-chan?” Nagisa asked.   


“No.” 

“Absolutely not,” Rin and I said at the same time. 

I could feel my cheeks flush a bit. Thankfully, we were just getting on the ride, so no one would see my face. 

.oOo.

The haunted house had a few good jumpscares and was pretty enjoyable. 

After the haunted house, Makoto wanted to go on the log flume. When we were done with that, I asked if we could go on the ride my father designed. That ride ended up being a roller coaster, so most of the group had decided to sit out. Only Rin, Yukari, Nagisa, and I decided to ride it. 

Nagisa decided that he wanted to sit next to Rin for this ride; Yukari and I would be in front of them. I held Yukari’s hand during the entire ride; I could tolerate most roller coasters but there were a few that still freaked me out. 

.oOo.

Rin and I snuck away from the group to ride the Ferris wheel. It would be nice to get some time to ourselves. As we got on the ride and sat down, Rin grabbed my hand.   


“Anytime Koji comes over, don’t hesitate to call me or come over to my house.” Rin looked me in the eyes.   


“I will.” I nodded before I brought my hand to his cheek. 

As the Ferris wheel reached the top, Rin leaned in to kiss me. I smiled into the kiss because this felt like it was right out of one of those cheesy romance movies—something Rin would like. He could be quite the romantic. It was honestly kind of cute. Even though we couldn’t see each other much because of our schedules we’d talk on the phone or make time for a study date. 

“The same goes for you: if you're having a bad day, don’t hesitate to call me,” I told him as I pulled away. 

Rin nodded as he pulled out his phone.    


“Hey, take a picture with me.” He draped his arm around my shoulders. 

After we got into position, he took the picture, and the Ferris wheel started to descend. 

We spent the last few moments of the ride in silence, admiring the view. 

Yukari was waiting for us when we got off the ride.   


“I thought you two would end up here,” she smiled.   


“Where are the others?” I asked.   


“Grabbing some food. I told them I’d go find you two. We have time for one more ride. I think Nagisa mentioned something about bumper cars.”   


“I hope you two know you're gonna lose,” Rin smirked.   


“You're the one who’s going to lose,” I grinned back.   


“Both of you are going to lose to me.” Yukari crossed her arms. 

I turned my smile to her before motioning for her to lead the way.

We found the others at one of the game stalls. Nagisa wanted to win a prize before going to the bumper cars. Surprisingly, Kou was the best at bumper cars, but I guess competitiveness ran in the family. 

After the bumper cars, we all headed home. Makoto and Haru walked me back since Rin’s house was in the opposite direction of mine. We both texted each other that we got home safely. 

When I reached my room, I collapsed onto the bed, thinking about the day. Koji’s words from earlier didn’t bother me as much as they usually would because today was  _ so _ much fun. I knew we would have more days like this one in the future. We were all determined to swim together at Nationals, especially since it would be the last year Makoto, Haru, Rin, and I would be able to swim with everyone. There were so many memories to be made, and I couldn’t wait. 

There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that next summer would be nothing short of eternal. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a wild ride! Thank you all for the reviews! I wanna thank ImmortalSpuffy202 on fanfiction for being such an amazing Beta reader! Keep a look out for season 2 because Riku's story isn't over just yet! :)


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